SANTA MONICA, Calif. (July 30, 2019) – Karissa Cook/Jace Pardon became the first U.S. beach team to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games on Tuesday in Lima, Peru.
In the final, Cook/Pardon defeated Argentina’s defending Pan Am Games champion and two-time Olympian Ana Gallay of Argentina and her partner Fernanda Pereira, 14-21, 22-20, 15-10.
Argentina came out really strong and I don’t think they ever let up,” Pardon (left in photos above) told the Associated Press.
“It was just about us staying really gritty. Even though we never felt like it was really beautiful volleyball that we were playing, we found a way to score, and luckily it was more than them.”
Cook, from Santa Cruz, Calif., and Pardon, from Manhattan Beach, Calif., did not lose a set in the tournament until the final.
The U.S. men’s team of Mark Burik/Ian Satterfield finished 10th.