BEIJING, Aug 8: In the battle of the bronzed, the old enemies are back. The United States head into the Olympic beach volleyball as favourites in both the men’s and women’s events but Brazil are close behind with China snapping at their heels, desperate to get their first medals in the high-octane sport.

In the women’s event, one of the biggest television grabbers at the Games, everybody is certain it will take something extraordinary to beat defending champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

The US pair have dominated the domestic and international tours for years and arrive in Beijing as triple world champions with almost a 1,000 point lead on the qualification rankings.

The two Brazilian pairs were tipped as medallists until Juliana, part of their top-ranked team, pulled out with a knee injury.

China also look dangerous, holding two of the top four seeds in the women’s draw and one in the men’s.—Reuters