Australia's beach volleyball gold medallists Chris McHugh and Paul Burnett have admitted to frayed nerves during their stunning comeback win over Canada at the Commonwealth Games.
The Australians came from a set down, saved two championship points, and kept their cool as a referee melted in the Birmingham sun during Sunday's gold medal game.
McHugh and Burnett triumphed over Canada's Sam Schachter and Daniel Dearing in a thriller, 17-21 21-17 20-18.
McHugh captured the sport's inaugural Commonwealth medal on the Gold Coast four years ago with Damien Schumann as his partner.
In 2018, the McHugh-Schumann combination also beat a Canadian pairing - Schachter and Sam Pedlow - in a tight three-set tussle.
"It's hard to put it into words - being back-to-back Commonwealth Games gold medallist in beach volleyball is something really special," McHugh said.
The Aussies lost the first set, hit back in the second, and then prevailed in a dramatic deciding set.
With the scores locked at 12-12, referee Giovanni Bake was baked in temperatures that ground staff said approached 40 degrees on court.
It was 24 degrees in the shade when Bake wobbled on his perch and was helped down by McHugh and Canada's Schachter.
"In 15 years of volleyball, I have never had that happen," McHugh said.
"Twelve-all in the third set is the tipping point."
Canada soon had two championships points. The Australians saved both despite 24-year-old Burnett saying his nerves were jangling "pretty high".
"Sometimes you're able to control the nerves better than others," he said.
"And sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We were able to do it today."
The Aussies then had three match points of their own saved before making a golden cash-in on their fourth.
"It's incredible. This is why we play, to chase feelings like this," Burnett said.
On Sunday night, Australia's women's duo Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy meet Canada's Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes in their gold medal match.
That fixture is a repeat of the Gold Coast finale four years ago when the Canadians defeated the Australians.
