April Ross

April Ross is only one of the few beach volleyball athletes to win medals more than once at an Olympics. Alix-Klineman is set to compete alongside Ross at Tokyo in order to claim her third gold medal in the next few days. Ross's dream is to earn her first Olympic gold medal. As she turns 39, it could be her last chance to win the gold medal at an Olympics. Her optimism is that she can achieve top honors. Ross declared on NBC Boston: "If we do our best and even if we just play well, I think we could get the gold medal." Also, it's the result of luck. Ross was born in the city of Costa Mesa, California in the year 1982. Her parents and her sister lived in the area. She went on to compete in numerous sports in Newport Harbor High School. Apart from the indoor game, she also played basketball and jogged track in her pre-college days. In her final game, she clearly stood out. Through her high school years, she played middle blocker, outside setter and hitter on the volleyball court as per her bio at the college. Gatorade Circle of Champions named her the National Player 1999. The skills she showed in volleyball also brought her an Orange County Athlete of the Year award in the year 2000. Ross and Klineman are performing their roles from 2017. However, Ross was an important player in the beach volleyball scene before the pairing. In reality, she's been a winner of numerous major tournaments and one partner was an all-star volleyball player. The pair teamed along with Jennifer Kessy from 2007-2013, and she also served as Klineman's personal trainer. Along together with Kessy Ross, she won a World Title in 2009 when she competed in the international circuit. The 2012 Olympic Games, they received a gold medal. They were knocked out of the gold by the legendary duo of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (Jennings). It was fate that had them. Ross became Walsh Jennings' new partner as May-Treanor stepped down. Both went on to win the bronze medal in beach volleyball in the Rio Olympics in 2016 along with Walsh Jennings. Ross was a Trojans player for the USC throughout her college years before becoming a professional. The Trojans had a great run for Ross at the university. In her first year at the school, 2000 was when she won the Pac-10 and NCAA Freshman's of award and become an All-American. Her Trojans also reached the Final Four. Her personal life was tense after a devastating loss in her sophomore, however, she was successful in achieving the All-American title. The two years following her she led the Trojans up to the summit and won consecutive national titles. She had established herself as an all-time legend winning the 2003-2004 Honda Sports Award as the most outstanding female college volleyball player. Ross was a student at USC in International Relations. Unfortunately Ross mom Margie never got to see Ross's daughter reach the very top of beach volleyball stardom. Ross's mother died of cancer of the breast in 2001. Ross had just become a second-year student at USC. She continues to cherish her parents who passed away. Margie has been an inspiration throughout her life, as well as on the beaches.