April Ross

April Ross is only one of only a handful of beach volleyball players to have won medals more than once at an Olympics. Ross will compete in Tokyo for her third Olympic gold medal along with Alix Klineman who is a first-time Olympian. Ross will also be hoping for her very first Olympic medal. At 39 this may be her last opportunity to accomplish this. However, she's convinced that top prizes can be achieved. Ross said on NBC Boston: "If we try our best, and even playing well, I think we could be able to win gold." That's why I'm taking the chance also. Ross was born in California in Costa Mesa in 1982. Her family lived in the area with her mother, father and sibling. Apart from playing in numerous sports, Ross was also a student at Newport Harbor High School. Being a pre-athlete she played indoor track and volleyball. She clearly was the top at the sport of indoor volleyball. During her high school career she played middle blocker, outside setter and hitter at the tennis court per her college bio. Thanks to her hard work she was named in 1999 as the Gatorade International Player of the year in Circle of Champions. Her volleyball skills also won her an Orange County Athlete of the Awards in 2000. Ross and Klineman might have begun working together in 2017, but Ross had already been a seasoned athlete at the beach prior to when they joined forces. The fact is, she's been a winner of numerous major tournaments and one of them was a renowned volleyball player. Jennifer Kessy coached her from 2007 through 2013. Along together with Kessy Ross was awarded an Olympic Title in 2009 while competing on the international circuit. They won a Silver Medal during the 2012 Olympic Games held in London. The Misty Maytreanor legendary team as well as Kerri Jennings took home the gold. Ross Jennings replaced May-Treanor when she announced her retirement. In 2016, the duo took bronze at the Rio Olympics for beach volleyball. Ross participated in the Trojans of USC in her college years after she graduated high school. Ross had an impressive run in the college. She was a All-American and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in the year 2000, a young freshman. In addition, she helped her Trojans to make it to the Final Four. Her heart was broken by a tragic incident in her second year, but she managed to become an All-American once more. In her last two years of participation in the Trojans program, she coached them to a national title every year. For her part Ross established her status as a legend by winning the Honda Sports Award for 2003-04. This prize was awarded to the most outstanding female volleyball players at colleges across the United States. Ross played international relations as a student at USC. Margie Ross was not able to see Ross achieve beach volleyball's top stage. When Ross was a sophomore in USC her mother passed away from breast cancer. She is devoted to her mother who died. Margie has always been a source of inspiration to her, both in and out of the water.