RIO DE JANEIRO — Reid Priddy could take his Brazilian bow.
One of the biggest ambassadors in men’s volleyball for more than a decade, the 38-year-old American ended his fourth and final indoor Olympics in spectacular fashion Sunday, leading a five-set comeback that carried the U.S. to the bronze medal with a victory over defending champion Russia.
Yet Priddy will be remembered for far more than a medal. That he even suited up was an achievement. And it wasn’t lost on those who played alongside him, watching as he recovered from a career-threatening knee injury – especially important to the younger players, who relished the chance to learn from him.
“I won before this game started,” Priddy said.
He leapt high for kill after kill, blocked his heart out, and dived to the floor all day to keep points alive. Priddy played the most he has in these Olympics on the final day of the tournament, pulling his teammates into quick huddles between points, patting them on the back and high-fiving at every chance.
“It was hard especially at the end there to just focus, a lot of emotions,” Priddy said. “It was special. Even before this game, I came to terms with the fact the relationships, the experiences, were worth it the last two years. All the growth, all the hardship.”
Priddy bent his knees and pumped his arms when Matt Anderson pounded one ball home. And when Anderson ended the match with another kill, Priddy found himself in the middle of a huge hug.
Now, change may be coming for a man who has left such a legacy for the program. He will try to make it in beach volleyball. And, if his body cooperates, he will try to compete in Tokyo for one more Olympics.
TICKET SCALPING: Police are blocking Ireland’s top four Olympic executives from leaving Brazil as their ticket scalping investigation expanded with a raid on the final day of the Rio Games.
The Rio police force said it executed search warrants to seize passports and evidence from Ireland team leader Kevin Kilty, chief executive Stephen Martin and secretary general Dermot Henihan, who are accused of illegally selling Olympic tickets.
The trio, whose phones and laptops were taken by police, agreed to present themselves for questioning by police on Tuesday, the OCI said in an earlier statement.
The new development in the investigation came as Olympic Council of Ireland president Patrick Hickey, who is also a top Olympic official, remained in jail following his arrest on Wednesday.
Investigators say a company, Pro 10 Sports Management, was created to facilitate the transfer of tickets between the Irish Olympic committee and THG, an unauthorized ticket seller.
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