Olympic gold medalist Alix Klineman retires from professional beach volleyball.
Klineman, 34, made the announcement in a five-minute video released Monday.
Klineman and April Ross, who won Olympic gold together in Tokyo, will each compete in their final professional event at the AVP League Championship this weekend in Carson, California.
Ross, Olympic medalist of all colors, previously announced that this is his last season on tour.
“Well, here it is, one last week of training with you,” Klineman said in the video, which was presented as a letter to the sport. “It still feels surreal. From my first awkward serve at age 6 to the thrill of competing on the biggest stage in the world, we’ve been through it all.”
After winning Olympic gold in 2021, Klineman announced in January 2022 that she had undergone shoulder surgery. She then had a son Théo in June 2023.
She returns to competition in September 2023 for her first events in almost two years. Then this past May, Klineman and Ross teamed up for the first time since 2021 to end their A-Team partnership on the AVP National Tour, both as moms.
“There’s something about winning the gold medal — it checks the box, at least for me,” Klineman said. “Of course, I still love you (volleyball). I’m still here, but the despair is gone. Before, I would do anything for you. The exhaustion, the pain, none of that had left It’s actually crazy how much pain I endured for you, and it was all worth it. But now there’s something, someone, that’s worth it. It’s no longer just about you, volleyball. It’s not about my family either, it’s about my priorities they are different now.
“I thought I could do both: be a mom and act, and I did. I am right now, but I can’t do both like I want to do both. When I do things, I’m doing them to be the best. It’s not necessarily compared to anyone else, but it’s the best I’m capable of. I know I can be better at volleyball right now. I’m running for Theo, and I don’t want that.”
Klineman was an indoor All-American at Stanford and finished her college career in 2010. She played professionally in Italy and Brazil before moving full-time to the beach in 2017.
After Klineman’s first full season on the AVP circuit, with second-place finishes in eight events, she began a tryout with Ross and they became a team. By then, Ross had already won a world championship, as well as Olympic silver and bronze medals with his previous partners. Klineman had not yet played an international match.
“April, thank you for taking this chance in 2018,” Klineman said. “You taught me so much about sports and being the best.”
Klineman and Ross quickly became the best in the United States and soon the world. In Tokyo, they became the second U.S. women’s beach team to win Olympic gold after Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings, who did so in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
“The thing I wanted most, the Olympics, was always out of reach (indoors),” Klineman said. “Following you (volleyball) to the beach was a twist that even I didn’t see coming.
“The beginning, and especially the bottom, was perhaps my favorite part of the whole thing. The beach is where we fell in love again, and for that, it will probably be my favorite place.”
April Ross prepares to end her beach volleyball career
April Ross has made her retirement plans after winning an Olympic medal of all colors.