South Korea, Serbia and Japan qualified for the London Olympics, joining two-time world champions Russia, on the final day of the women’s volleyball qualifying tournament on Sunday. South Korea beat Peru 25-11, 25-18, 25-21 to finish on 15 points and in second place behind Russia, who had already qualified for the Games. The Russian women recorded their seventh straight win earlier in the day, beating Taiwan 25-14, 25-17, 25-17. But there was disappointment for Thailand. They outclassed former world champions Cuba 25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 25-21 to keep their hopes alive in the morning and ended with the same win-loss record and point score as the Japanese. But the Japanese — who were defeated by Serbia 18-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21, 15-9 — ended with a higher set ratio than the Thais, meaning they claimed the Asian ticket to London. The top three teams in the eight-team round robin and the best-placed Asian side among the rest qualify for the Olympics. Serbia ended in third place with a 5-2 win-loss record and 14 points, while Japan and Thailand ended with a 4-3 record for 12 points. “We couldn’t take part in the Beijing Olympics and we struggled since then, but today we were able to achieve our dream,” said South Korean coach Kim Hyung-Sil.
