April Ross had won a silver in London in 2012 and a bronze four years later in Rio. At the Shiokaze Park in Tokyo on Friday, she finally got the medal that mattered the most, at the age of 39.
Along with Alix Klineman, she won the gold in women’s beach volleyball, with a straight-set victory over the Australian pair of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy in the final. The Americans won 21-15, 21-16, in just 43 minutes.
They were in control for most of the time in both sets. The Aussie women were forced to do the catch up, which they never really managed to.
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It proved an unforgettable Olympic debut for Klineman, who had switched to beach volleyball from the indoor variety only four years ago. She had been a member of the United States volleyball team. She was, in fact, part of the US team that won the bronze in the Pan American Games in 2011.
The bronze went to Switzerland’s Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Heidrich, who defeated Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka of Latvia 21-19, 21-15.
The results:
Final: April Ross & Alix Klineman (USA) bt Mariafe Artacho del Solar & Taliqua Clancy (AUS) 21-15, 21-16.
Bronze-medal match: Anouk Verge-Depre & Joana Heidrich (SUI) bt Tina Graudina & Anastasija Kravcenoka (LAT) 21-19, 21-15.
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