US coach lauds volleyball victory amid grief
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United States volleyball players and coach Hugh McCutcheon, bottom centre, celebrate victory in the gold medal match. (Getty Images: Jonathan Ferrey)
United States men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon has celebrated a team gold medal and said it should not be overshadowed by the murder of his father-in-law during the Olympic Games.
McCutcheon said "the filters came down" as the US seized the final point in a closely-fought final against Brazil and he briefly retreated from the court, hands over head, to a side corridor to compose himself after a "surreal" few weeks.
The Americans scored a 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 victory.
"I mourn the loss of my father-in-law, greatly. My heart aches for my wife and for our family for their loss. On the other hand, I am extremely proud and happy for my team," McCutcheon said.
"Those are the two emotions I have and they are a little bit conflicted, obviously.
"I cannot change what happened in either sphere, I can just embrace what's occurred and try to deal with it accordingly."
The US team had rallied behind McCutcheon after his father-in-law was killed and mother-in-law and a tour guide stabbed by a Chinese man who then committed suicide.
The incident happened in Beijing on the first full day of the Games.
McCutcheon, a New Zealander, has coached the US team since 2005 and was assistant coach four years ago in Athens when they finished fourth.
He was absent from the bench for the initial matches of the Olympics to be with his family.
He had focused on developing teamwork and a new identity for the US men, who were still in the shadow of champion teams from the 1980s.
The US won gold in Seoul and Los Angeles but had not had another medal after a bronze in Barcelona in 1992.
McCutcheon's wife, herself a former volleyball player, had urged him to return to Beijing once her mother was stable.
The men's team, which had a rocky start in McCutcheon's absence, pulled together in a tightly-fought, exciting final which they won 3-1.
"That's what you should be celebrating," McCutcheon said.
"This team that probably a year ago no-one had considered would be worthy of being Olympic champions has come out and proved everyone wrong."
- Reuters
