LONDON (AP) -- Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins beat the Netherlands in the beach volleyball bronze medal match on Thursday night to win Latvia's first medal of the London Olympics.
The Latvians rallied after a first-set loss to beat Reinder Nummerdor and Rich Schuil 19-21, 21-19, 15-11.
Plavins played in the Beijing Games with a different partner, beating eventual gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser in the opening match of pool play. He finished ninth in 2008.
It was Smedins' first Olympic appearance.
Schuil won the indoor volleyball gold medal in 1996. The Dutch pair finished tied for fifth on the beach in Beijing.