Beijing, China (Sports Network) - American and Chinese flags dotted the stands, sticking to anything they touched. They were outnumbered only by fans holding umbrellas.

This was some beach volleyball final.

Under a driving rain and in the coolest temperatures these Beijing Olympics have seen so far, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh completed their undefeated run through the women's beach volleyball tournament on Thursday with a straight-set win in the gold medal match.

May-Treanor and Walsh won their second consecutive Olympic gold medal with a 21-18, 21-18 victory over China's Wang Jie and Tian Jia, completing their run through the tournament without dropping a set.

They improved their overall winning streak to an astounding 108 matches at the international and domestic level. And they weren't about to let the rain dampen their celebration.

After scoring the last point, Walsh bounded around the court in the rain, hopping up and down and carrying a wet American flag. She hugged wet volunteers and the Chaoyang Park venue dancers.

The Americans held hands on the medal stand, and Walsh wept.

"I want to apologize for screaming so loud," Walsh said later, arriving to the press conference with a beer in one hand and her medal stand flowers in the other. "I had to get it out of me."

The stands were blanketed by colorful umbrellas, necessary to keep dry in a steady rain that sometimes reached a downpour. Puddles formed all around the venue, some several inches deep. But the match started on time despite the weather.

"This is why we play in bathing suits," said May-Treanor.

She and Walsh made sure they weren't in the rain long, closing out the match in just 42 minutes. The 12,000 fans in attendance were probably happy about that, too, though not many of them left before the medal ceremony.

"It's harder to be a fan than a player" when it's raining, said May-Treanor.

It wasn't the first time the American duo had played in the rain, but May- Treanor didn't think they had ever played through such a steady storm. The secret is just not to look up for too long, she said.

"That's what makes our game enjoyable," she said. "You can play in any condition."

Wang and Tian -- shorter and without the level of experience that Americans brought to the match -- thrilled their fans by keeping it close. They forced Walsh and May-Treanor to catch them in the first set, which the Americans did when they made it 10-10.

Later, when the U.S. had three set points after Walsh looped a shot into the backcourt, the Chinese battled to save the first one. But May-Treanor closed out the set with a spike.

The second set was tight as well, with Walsh and May-Treanor finally edging ahead 17-15. Moments later, they won the match on the first set point.

"We delivered our best performance," said Tian. "They are a lot better than us."

Though beach volleyball is a relatively new sport to them, the Chinese claimed silver and bronze in the women's competition to put four players on the medal stand Thursday.

Xue Chen and Zhang Xi won the bronze medal with a 21-19, 21-17 victory over Renata Ribeiro and Talita Rocha of Brazil.

"I believe we have created a historical breakthrough with this game," said Wang. "We tried our best, but we lack some things compared to the Americans."

But, just as in so many other sports, the Chinese are catching up.

Wang and Tian are just 24 and 27 years old. Walsh turned 30 last week, and May is 31. The older Americans were already looking ahead to the next Summer Olympics.

"I can't imagine what London will be like with these guys," said Walsh. "We are old ladies compared to them."

With brand-new necklaces.

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