While every Olympic story is compelling in its own way, there’s one type of athlete who pulls at the heart strings a bit harder than most. It’s the athlete approaching the end of their career, but who still has one last chance to win that ever-elusive gold.

This summer, a new crop of such athletes is headed to Tokyo and will return home with either a deep sense of peace and relief, or with a lifelong ache for golden glory. While no one knows exactly when beach volleyball superstar April Ross will officially retire, it’s hard to deny that she’ll never have a better chance to finally win gold than this summer in Tokyo. With an Olympic bronze and a silver already in her trophy case, it’s the only color medal missing for Ross.

At 38 years old, Ross would probably be the first to say she has no set plans to hang it up after Tokyo. Her 2016 Rio partner and 3-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh-Jennings was in the midst of the Tokyo hunt herself, still hoping to battle for medals at age 42. But she and teammate Brooke Sweat were eliminated from Olympic contention when Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil took first place at the penultimate Olympic qualifying event, becoming the youngest ever U.S. Olympic beach volleyball duo.

For the first time in almost two decades, Walsh-Jennings won’t be on the court of an Olympic medal match. Instead, Ross will be the most decorated and veteran American on the sand in Tokyo. She’ll have to share her wisdom with teammate Alix Klineman, who has no prior Olympic experience.

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One of the most fascinating aspects of this two-on-two sport is the process by which teams are formed and then dissolved and then re-formed with new partners. There is no coach or general manager making these decisions. Two athletes decide to join together in pursuit of excellence and then often break up because one of them has decided there is a better fit out there. It’s a “Bachelor” spin off waiting to happen.

Ross’s path to her current partner had its share of tough conversations with now-former teammates.

“I can picture each conversation I had and how stressed out I was and how nervous I was to have these conversations, but I am also so proud that I embraced the challenge and took it head on,” Ross told Kelley O’Hara on the JWS podcast last fall.

“It’s really easy to get caught up with a friendship, because you do become really close with your partners and you don’t want to hurt your partner… I also view it as a business, and I know I have to make those tough calls.”

In her first Olympic bid in the 2012 London games, Ross and then-partner Jennifer Kessy lost to Walsh-Jennings and Misty May-Treanor in an all-USA gold medal match. In the post-game hand-shake, Walsh-Jennings infamously whispered to Ross, “Now let’s go win gold in Rio,” knowing May-Treanor was retiring and that Ross was her best replacement.

On paper, Ross and Walsh-Jennings were a match made in heaven. They had a great friendship and partnership, but unfortunately fell significantly short of their goals when they took home the bronze in Rio.

The two parted ways the following year when conflict with the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) resulted in Walsh-Jennings on one side of the fence and Ross on the other. Deciding to re-sign with AVP even as Walsh-Jennings did not was a critical juncture in Ross’s career that ultimately led to their break-up.

“It was gut wrenching, and just so stressful… It was the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Ross told O’Hara.

A few seasons later, as the 2020 Olympics came into view, Ross knew she needed to get serious about choosing a partner for Tokyo and she started assessing her options. (As O’Hara described it, “So basically, volleyball is a lot of sliding into DMs when you need a new teammate.”)

Despite being relatively inexperienced, Alix Klineman had what Ross was looking for. She liked Klineman’s indoor experience, her proven performance under pressure, and the depth of untapped potential she sensed.

“The reason I made the decision to go with Alix was based on intangibles.”

So far, the choice appears to be an excellent one. Since joining forces, Ross and Klineman have become the number one ranked U.S. team and were the first to secure a spot in Tokyo. Klineman’s net play paired with Ross’s tenacious defense has also earned them a claim as the top overall seed heading into the games. Their biggest competition prior to the pandemic was Canadian duo Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan, but the Americans have come out on top in all three head-to-heads since tournaments resumed last summer.

Now, we get to see if their magic will be enough to win what would be a career-capping gold medal in Tokyo for Ross. No American athlete may have more to win, given that Ross and Klineman will be gold medal favorites for potentially the first and final time in Ross’ career.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.