TOKYO — April Ross and Alix Klineman won gold for the U.S. in women’s beach volleyball Friday, defeating the Australian duo of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy 21-15, 21-16 at Shiokaze Park.
Ross, a former USC standout from Costa Mesa, won silver at the London Games in 2012 and bronze in Rio de Janeiro five years ago. Klineman is a first-time Olympian from Manhattan Beach. Both players train in Hermosa Beach.
Since beach volleyball was introduced at the Atlanta Games in 1996, Americans have won 11 medals, seven of them gold.
Switzerland won bronze earlier in the day, with the team of Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre defeating Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka 21-19, 21-15.
(Staff writer Nathan Fenno contributed to this story.)
