The Aussie pair more used to boos than cheers lands beach volleyball gold
Christopher McHugh and Damien Schumaan are so used to having thousands booing their every point on the world volleyball circuit.
So when for once in their competitive lives they had a raucous Gold Coast crowd barracking for them in the men's volleyball gold medal final, it made a palpable difference.
The pair claimed gold for Australia against a red-hot Canadian side in three tight, nervy sets, overcoming a third set wobble to edge past Samuel Pedlow and Sam Schachter.
Athletes often play to the crowd on home soil, but having spent plenty of time on the international beach volleyball circuit — with partisan fans around the world wishing ill on Australian fortunes — the Commonwealth Games crowd had a tangible effect.
"It was massive, I think," Schumaan said.
"Both us and Canada have played in front of big crowds before, so it wasn't a shock-and-awe factor for Canada probably, but when we won points, that extra level of noise is probably something they haven't heard for an Australian team on court.
"Usually we're on court and there's 11,000 people abusing us in Brazil, or America or Europe or wherever we might be.
"So to have a pro-Australian crowd in a world-class venue like this is very strange, but we could get used to it."
And it's that feeling that the pair would like to see become a more regular experience on Australian sands, with McHugh saying he hopes their gold medal helps trigger an upsurge in interest in the sport domestically.
"Beach volleyball, it's hard to see how it's not synonymous with Australia," he said.
"We've got the best beaches in the world, it's a great sport and people can really get around it.
"If you looked around the ground this week, the kids are loving the atmosphere, they're jumping up and down in the stands, they're going nuts, it's a real family sport.
"Hopefully this propels the sport forward in Australia and hopefully we've inspired some young guys to take up the sport and have a crack.
"There is a future for them in the sport, you can do it professionally, and it is something that you can aspire to — whether it's a Commonwealth Games gold medal, or Olympic, or even state versus state, and world tour.
"We're a growing sport around the Commonwealth, around the world, and Australia should be a part of it and leading the way."
Gold Coast shows 'why we fell in love with the sport'
Australia's women did not fare as well as their male counterparts in the other gold medal final, losing in two tight sets to Canada.
Mariafe Artache del Solar and Taliqua Clancy fought to level the scores from large deficits a number of times throughout the match, but Canadian pairing Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes were ultimately too good.
Nevertheless, Clancy said the Commonwealth Games tournament was able to showcase to new audiences what made beach volleyball a quintessentially Australian sport,.
"Everybody feels exactly why we fell in love with the sport. It's a fun environment, it doesn't matter if you don't know the sport or if you do," Clancy said.
"As soon as you come here, you love it. You enjoy the experience. That's what makes it really great and I think it really does represent Australia.
"We love the beach, we love exercise and we love being outdoors. I think that's everything that Australia is."
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ABC .net
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