Mexico at the 2012 Summer Olympics Sydney by a single medal. Three of these medals were awarded to the athletes in diving, and two in archery for the first time. Among the nation's medalists were springboard diver Laura Sánchez, who won Mexico's first Olympic medal for a female in an individual event. Meanwhile, taekwondo jin María Espinoza and platform diver Paola Espinosa became the first Mexican women in history to win a total of two Olympic medals. Mexico also set a milestone in its team sports, as the men's football team won its first ever Olympic gold medal in the final match against Brazil. Mexico at
Volleyball at the Summer Olympics Team, the remnants of former Soviet Union went as far as the finals, but did not resist the power play of the young, rising Cuban squad. Led by superstars Mireya Luis and Regla Torres, Cuba would eventually set the record for consecutive wins in the Olympic Games by also taking the gold in 1996 and 2000 against China and Russia, respectively. In 2004, the winners were once again China. Second were Russia who beat Brazil in a very tough and dramatic semifinal match after being down 1–2, 19–24 in the fourth set. In 2008, Brazil finally won the gold, beating