Beijing: Brazil's women's volleyball team put an end to years of heartbreak by winning the Olympic gold medal for the first time in their history here on Saturday, defeating the United States by three sets to one.
Their 25-15, 18-25, 25-13, 25-21 victory in a high-class final came after three straight semi-finals and successive bronzes at the 1996 Atlanta Games and in Sydney four years later.
Defeat put paid to a fairytale finish for US coach Lang Ping, a member of the China side that beat the United States in the 1984 Olympic women's volleyball final in Los Angeles.
Now the Americans will look to their men for volleyball gold when they too face Brazil in their final here on Sunday.
Brazil's women had powered their way through to the final without losing a set, defeating hosts and reigning Olympic champions China in the semis where the United States sprung a major surprise by whitewashing Cuba.
Both sides matched each other spike for spike in the early stages while Brazilian libero Helia Sousa and her American counterpart Nicole Davis thrilled the packed crowd with brilliant defensive play.
But gradually Brazil began to impose themselves on the game.
The 6ft (1.84m) plus tall pair of Paula Pequeno and Fabiana Claudino, started to find their range with a succession of powerful spikes.
Lang, known as 'Jenny' in the US, tried to disrupt Brazil's rhythm by calling a time-out.
But afterwards, Brazil went nine points ahead as they surged into a 20-11 lead and Pequeno's service winner gave them the first set.
At the start of the second set, the United States led by the time of the first technical time-out thanks after forceful play from Tayyiba Haneef-Park and Heather Bown.
Nevertheless, Brazil repeatedly cut the Americans' advantage to four points.
However a serve from Brazil's Sheilla Castro, which sailed long made it 19-14 to the Americans.
Brazil saved the first set-point but couldn't save another as the United States levelled at 1-1 .
Their aura of invincibility punctured after 22 sets of dominance, Brazil showed they had touch to match their power, when Sheilla Castro's deft push into the open court helped them into an early lead in the third.
Fine blocking at net from Walewska Oliveira kept Brazil in front of a packed and vocal crowd.
The Americans were struggling to beat the Brazilian blockers and Lang called a time-out with the South Americans 12-6 in front.
Marianne Steinbrecher's angled spike extended Brazil's lead and it was not long before they were 16-9 up.
At net, Brazil's front-blocking trio, often proved an impenetrable wall of gold and green for the team in blue and red.
Oliveira's fearsome spike made it 21-12.
Faced with the pressure of catch-up, American hits started to go long and serves hit the net before Steinbrecher's spike put Brazil 2-1 up in sets and in sight of glory.
The US didn't yield easily though and it wasn't until, with the score 11-10 in their favour, that Brazil had a fourth set lead.
Acrobatic 'gets' from players on both sides prolonged rallies that seemed over and at 18-18 the set was wide open.
Now the match was a test of nerve as much as skill for the pumped-up players on both teams.
Great scrambling from Welissa Gonzaga in the back court edged Brazil in front before more solid blocking took Brazil to the brink of a gold which was confirmed when a spike from the Americans' Logan Tom went long.
Earlier on Saturday, China beat Cuba by three sets to one (25-16, 21-25, 25-13, 25-20) to win the bronze medal.
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