AP
PARIS (AP) — Steven van de Velde, the Dutch beach volleyball player who was convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl in 2016, was eliminated from the Paris Olympics on Sunday night when he and partner Matthew Immers lost to Brazil in straight sets.
In his fourth and final match, Van de Velde again was subjected to a steady stream of hoots and whistles each time he served the ball. On match point, with Van de Velde serving and the crowd jeering him, Evandro delivered the winning spike to win 21-16, 21-16 and end the Dutch team’s stay at the Summer Games.
The teammates hugged, did the usual postmatch handshake with the opponents and the officials and then sat on the bench for a few minutes with an arm around each other’s shoulder. Van de Velde walked off waving to crowd, seeking out the orange-clad Dutch fans who were applauding among the others sending boos his way.
“It was an emotional roller coaster. I see it that way,”…
