[Source: Reuters]

From the beach to the ring Brazilians punched and spiked their way to Pan American Games gold this morning as the first week of competition in chilly Santiago came to an end along with the United States gold rush.

Beach volleyball is considered a national pastime in Brazil and under the fog shrouded Andes mountains the top ranked women’s pair of Patricia Ramos and Duda Lisboa and men’s duo of Andre Stein and George Souto produced steely performances to return home with both titles.

On the other side of the Chilean capital Brazilian boxers were piling up 12 medals, including four gold, all from women, led by twice world champion and Olympic silver medallist Beatriz Ferreira.

World champions in 2022 before losing the title to the U.S. two weeks ago, Ramos and Lisboa were golden again as they beat the Canadian flag bearers Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson 2-0.

The silver was Canada’s first medal in women’s beach volleyball at a Pan Am Games.

A tight final (22-20, 22-18) was played at the high level expected from the two sides featuring world champions.

Andre Loyola and George Souto had to work a little longer and harder into the cold evening to complete the golden double needing three sets to see off Cuba’s Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz 2-1.

Two of Chile’s most popular athletes beach volleyballers Marco and Esteban Grimalt were not able to defend the gold they won four years ago in Lima but the cousins came through with a bronze medal with a 2-1 win over Americans Logan Webber and Hagen Smith that delighted the raucous flag-waving crowd.