This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Beach volleyball player Jake Gibb, a Bountiful native, reached the finals of the last Olympic qualifying event on Saturday to clinch at spot at the 2012 London Games with partner Sean Rosenthal.
The two finished fifth at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Gibb and Rosenthal had been in a tight race with Matt Fuerbringer and Nick Lucena for the final American spot in London.
But by reaching the semifinals at the FIVB Grand Slam in Rome, Gibb and Rosenthal assured they would finish with more points in the qualification process. Then, they went on to defeat Sascha Heyer and Sebastian Chevallier of Switzerland 21-14, 16-21, 15-10 to reach Sunday's final against defending world champions Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti, who beat Fuerbringer and Lucena 21-18, 14-21, 25-10 in the other semifinal.
Defending Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers had already locked up the other American place in London.