(BEIJING, August 20) -- The Olympic Women's Beach Volleyball competition will have a fitting climax tomorrow, when the tournament's top two seeds face off against each other in the final.

　　No. 1 seeds Tian Jia and Wang Jie will attempt to make history tomorrow. If they can defeat No. 2 seeds Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States, they will become the first team from China to win a gold medal in either Men's or Women's Beach Volleyball. They may not, however, become the first team from China to win an Olympic medal because their compatriots Xue Chen and Zhang Xi will play for the bronze medal in the match preceding the final.

　　Beach Volleyball has only been an Olympic sport since Atlanta 1996. Since then, the women's game has been dominated by teams from the United States and Brazil, with the occasional medal also being won by teams from Australia. The rapid rise of China in the sport, personified by the two female duos from China that are competing tomorrow, has been quite incredible.

　　Tian is the stalwart of Chinese Beach Volleyball. The 27-year-old woman is a native of Tianjin, a northern Chinese city, and is competing at her third Olympics. Tian and her former partner Wang Fei finished 9th at Athens 2004. Tian and her current partner, Wang Jie, joined forces in 2007 and performed well on the world tour, winning two tournaments.

　　Wang is a 23-year-old giant from Xinjiang, a province in western China. At a height of 187cm, Wang is one of the tallest Beach Volleyball going around, which makes her the perfect foil for the experienced Tian.

　　Tomorrow's final will probably be the swansong for the successful partnership between Tian and Wang. When asked whether they would continue their partnership after the Olympics, Tian told journalists:

　　"Probably not. The next major tournament is the National Games and we will both represent our own local teams. She (Wang) represents Xinjiang, while I represent the Liberation Army. Therefore, we will be separated and there is nothing that can be done about it."

　　Beijing 2008 will probably be Tian's last Olympic Games, but she leaves with China on the verge of being a Beach Volleyball power �C good enough to mix it with the United States and Brazil.

　　At the ages of 31 and 30, May-Treanor and Walsh may have another Olympic Games in them. Their compatriot, Elaine Youngs, was the oldest player at Beijing 2008, playing at the age of 38. Youngs and her partner Nicole Branagh were knocked out of the tournament by Xue and Zhang. However, it is very possible that Beijing 2008 will be the last Olympic appearance of May-Treanor and Walsh, who have been one of the most successful pairings in the history of Beach Volleyball.

　　If the American pair wins tomorrow, then they will become the first pair to win two gold medals in the sport. They have yet to drop a set in the tournament and will definitely be a difficult proposition for Tian and Wang. Either way, the match promises to be ultra-competitive with both sides possessing a never-say-die attitude. Expect the US pairing to triumph but as we have seen in other sports at Beijing 2008, Chinese athletes have been able to perform miracles in front of partisan crowds.

　　Women's bronze medal match: Xue/Zhang (China) vs Talita/Renata (Brazil), 9 a.m. local time (UTC/GMT +8)

　　Women's gold medal match: Tian/Wang (China) vs Walsh/May-Treanor (United States), 11 a.m local time (UTC/GMT +8).