COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 17, 2019) – The USA Volleyball beach team of Jake Gibb/Taylor Crabb took the gold medal and Tri Bourne/Trevor Crabb won bronze on Sunday at the FIVB World Tour four-star event in Chetumal, Mexico.
Gibb/Taylor Crabb won their first medal as a team on the FIVB World Tour and took another step toward Olympic qualification with the victory. The pair defeated Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands 21-16, 16-21, 15-12 in the men’s final.
“It feels amazing,” Taylor Crabb told the FIVB. “We battled so hard for the last three years and to get this on the last tournament in the year especially in an Olympic qualifying year and I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone other than Jake.”
Gibb/Taylor Crabb are now Olympic eligible after completing their 12th event. They won 800 points toward Olympic qualifying along with $20,000.
“The Olympic race is crazy, but right now this is a four-star event, a huge event,” said Gibb, 43, who became the oldest athlete ever to win an FIVB gold medal. “We’re No. 1 in the world today, we’re going to enjoy that. We’re just so blessed at USA Volleyball and just couldn’t be happier bringing home gold.”
Bourne/Trevor Crabb also made the podium after defeating Sven Winter/Alexander Walkenhorst from Germany 21-16, 21-12 in the bronze-medal match.
“It means a lot to end the year like this,” Bourne told the FIVB. “The hardest thing to finish the season when the end is so close is to keep up the energy and we showed a lot of heart, that’s what our team is all about.”
“It’s awesome, we’re both getting our first four-star medals or above at the same time so yeah it’s pretty special,” Trevor Crabb said, reacting to Taylor also making the podium.
Highest finishes on the women’s side for the United States were Sarah Sponcil/Kelly Claes and Brooke Sweat/Kerri Walsh Jennings. Both teams tied for fifth.
FINAL U.S. RESULTS FROM CHETUMAL
Women
1 Clancy/Artacho Del Solar AUS
2 Wang/X. Y. XIA CHN
3 Meppelink/Keizer NED
5T Sweat/Walsh Jennings USA
5T Claes/Sponcil USA
9T Flint/Day USA
Men
1 Gibb/Ta. Crabb
2 Brouwer/Meeuwsen NED
3 Bourne/Tr. Crabb USA
9T Kolinske/Hyden USA
9T Allen/Slick USA