"It changed my attitude a little, " Kessy said after the match, her hair dripping wet.

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Ross and Kessy had lost all nine times they'd met the Brazilians in past matches.

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They appeared to be coasting toward victory in the second set, too, until Kessy remembered her gum.

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In the aftermath Ross and Kessy were disappointed but also a little awestruck.

WSJ: 2012 London Olympics: Jason Gay: A Farewell to Queens of the Beach, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor

But that was nothing compared with what Ross and Kessy encountered against the powerful Brazilians, Larissa Franca and Juliana Silva.

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Ross and Kessy kept the momentum and handily won the final set.

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May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings were in the final against another U.S. pair, April Ross and Jennifer Kessy, but there was no home country sentimentality: the finish was swift and merciless.

WSJ: 2012 London Olympics: Jason Gay: A Farewell to Queens of the Beach, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor

"It's going to be a happy day, " Kessy said.

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"They're the best of all time, " said Kessy.

WSJ: 2012 London Olympics: Jason Gay: A Farewell to Queens of the Beach, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor