After defeating Australia to win gold in beach volleyball Friday, Team USA’s April Ross spoke candidly about her Olympic journey with partner Alix Klineman by her side.
Ross said she was at a “loss for words” when asked by a reporter how it felt to be an Olympic gold medalist.
“I couldn’t have done this without Alix,” Ross went on to say. “To get a gold medal finally, this just feels so amazing.”
The two then addressed their evolution as teammates. Klineman had less than a year of beach volleyball experience when she partnered with Ross in late 2017.
“This is what we dream of, and this is why we sacrificed so much and worked so hard,” Klineman said. “It feels like such a fairytale, and I’m so grateful for April and the rest of our team.”
Ross, who won silver with Jen Kessy in 2012 and bronze with Kerri Walsh Jennings in 2016, completed her Tokyo Olympic run with the gold medal that had previously eluded her.
Hear from Ross and Klineman after their Olympic victory:
GOLD MEDALISTS!Hear from @AprilRossBeach and @AlixKlineman after their Olympic dreams came true. #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/JLbzRMZvqK— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
GOLD MEDALISTS!Hear from @AprilRossBeach and @AlixKlineman after their Olympic dreams came true. #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/JLbzRMZvqK