TOKYO, May 27: European champions Serbia snatched the last berth in the women’s Olympic volleyball tournament after Sunday’s dramatic 3-2 win over Japan, who also progressed to the London Games along with Russia and South Korea.

World champions Russia emphatically claimed their spot with seven wins out of seven after beating beat Taiwan 25-14, 25-17, 25-17 while South Korea booked their passage with a 3-0 defeat of Peru earlier on Sunday in the eight-team qualifying tournament in Japan.

Olympic champions Brazil, United States, China, Turkey, Italy, Algeria and the Dominican Republic had earlier qualified to join hosts Britain in the 12-team event.

Results: Thailand bt Cuba 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21); Russia bt Taiwan 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-17); South Korea bt Peru 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-21); Serbia bt Japan 3-2 (18-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21, 15-9).—Reuters

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