Gibb retires from Olympic competition

Jake Gibb lingered on the sand at the Shiokaze Park beach volleyball court to say goodbye after his fourth trip to the Olympics came to an end.

To his temporary teammate, Tri Bourne.

And to international competition, for good.

“I was just enjoying the moment, and I was just enjoying that stadium, the energy — just kind of taking it in one last time,” Gibb said on Monday night after he and Bourne were eliminated with a loss to Germany in the round of 16. “I was just, I guess, letting it go, in a way.”

One day after 2008 gold medalist Phil Dalhausser announced that he was retiring, the 45-year-old Gibb said he would join his fellow four-time Olympian on the sidelines.

“I’m done,” Gibb said. “I’m going to go home and play some AVP tournaments. I’m going to go coach my kids’ soccer games.”

Bourne was a last-minute swap after Gibb’s original partner, Taylor Crabb, tested positive for COVID-19 when he arrived in Japan. The shotgun partnership had just three practices before their first match, but they made it out of pool play with a 2-1 record.

• April Ross is the last medalist standing in the Olympic beach volleyball women’s bracket.

The American 2016 bronze medalist and her partner ousted defending champion Laura Ludwig of Germany on Tuesday and advanced to the semifinals at the Shiokaze Park venue. Ross, who also has a silver medal from London, is the last woman remaining who has reached the podium at a previous Summer Games.

This time, Ross is playing with Olympic first-timer Alix Klineman. They beat Ludwig and her new partner Maggie Kozuch 21-19, 21-19.

Ross and Klineman are the U.S.’s last hopes for a beach volleyball medal in Tokyo.