'Mammoth' leads Brazil

Alison "The Mammoth" Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt sparked wild scenes at a rain-soaked Copacabana stadium as they powered to men's beach volleyball gold at the Rio Olympics on Friday.

The hulking, 6ft 8ins (2.03m) Cerutti, a losing finalist in 2012, and his new partner Schmidt thumped Italy's Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo 21-19, 21-17, prompting joyous celebrations.

Brazil's public has shown signs of ambivalence toward the Olympics but the country can now celebrate a fifth gold medal, sealed at its most famous beach.

"It's incredible. This is place is like the Maracana of beach volleyball," Cerutti said, comparing the Copacabana venue to Rio's iconic football stadium.