BEIJING • Even gold couldn’t sooth the heartache.

Not for Hugh McCutcheon, the happiest and saddest man of the Olympics.

The U.S. men’s indoor volleyball team stunned Brazil 3-1 in Sunday’s gold-medal match at the Beijing Games, capping an emotional ride in which its coach’s father-in-law was stabbed to death at a local tourist site.

A 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 victory gave the No. 3 Americans their third gold, their first since winning back-to-back Olympic crowns in 1984 and 1988. They won all eight games they played in Beijing.

“This is the best of times and the worst of times,” said McCutcheon, who flew to Minnesota hours after the match to help care for his mother-in-law, Barbara Bachman, nearly killed in the Aug. 9 attack that claimed Todd Bachman’s life.

The Bachmans, both 62, were visiting the Drum Tower with McCutcheon’s wife, Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon, a 2004 Olympic volleyball player, when a Chinese man mobbed them with a knife before committing suicide by jumping off a 130-foot balcony.

Elisabeth wasn’t injured but Todd died and Barbara required eight hours of surgery for multiple lacerations. Barbara is now talking and walking short distances at a hospital in Rochester, Minn.

Assistant Ron Larsen served as coach as McCutcheon, 38, skipped wins over No. 4 Bulgaria, No. 10 Italy and No. 20 Venezuela. McCutcheon returned for victories against No. 11 Japan and No. 21 China, No. 5 Serbia in the quarterfinals, Italy in the semifinals and No. 1 Brazil in the finals.

“There are so many other lives invested in this project than my own,” McCutcheon said. “I had to take some time off. I knew that when I came back, I had to be able to be 100 percent invested in what we’re doing and be fully present in the team.”

Most players know Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon from her connections to the Colorado Springs-based U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team, and they rallied behind their coach, inscribing the initials of Todd and Barbara Bachman on their shoes.

“He’ll be the first to tell you that winning won’t bring Todd back,” William Priddy said. “He has played an incredibly special role for us. He has helped guide and direct this team, and I’m just so happy he was able to stick around and stick with us.”

Ryan Millar said he hopes the Bachmans realize “a little piece of this was dedicated to them. The fact that we could do this for them and ease the pain a little bit and bring a little bit of joy into their life in such a difficult time is something that’s pretty special.”

When Clayton Stanley scored the winning point, McCutcheon hugged his assistants and buried his head in his hands, then walked into a corridor in tears.

Moments later, he called his wife, who watched on TV. He didn’t say much. She told him, “You won! You won! You won!”

McCutcheon maintains the gold hardly accelerates the grieving process.

“We can’t change what happened,” he said. “This isn’t any vindication. This isn’t anything that’s going to alter any outcome. But I’ll look upon that gold medal with a lot of satisfaction. … And then, I’m going to mourn the loss of my father-in-law.”-CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazettedev.gazette.com. Check out our Olympics blog at gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com

US Men’s Volleyball player Ryan Millar cries as he hugs teammate Scott Touzinsky following the US team’s Gold Medal win over Brazil Sunday, August 24, 2008, at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette

MARK REIS