Ross happy with bronze

Costa Mesa resident and Newport Harbor High graduate April Ross surely doesn’t believe the Olympic bronze medal she and women’s beach volleyball partner Kerri Walsh Jennings won at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday is any consolation prize.

Ross, who won a silver medal in the 2012 Olympics in London, took to Facebook Thursday to express her thoughts on claiming her second Olympic medal.

Her post:

“Really hard to put into words what last night meant to us. That was a really gnarly 24 hours. To go from being devastated, shocked, and numb to having to compete against the No. 1-ranked team at the Olympics, Brazil in Brazil, a team we’ve done terrible against mostly, to decide whether we go home with an Olympic medal or nothing at all, was more than daunting and took a Herculean effort to say the least. I’m so thankful for how our tribe lifted us up and got us back on our feet and ready to fight like hell for that medal, which is what we had to do. I’m so proud of how Kerri and I stayed together, NEVER gave up, and found a way to win with our backs against the wall. I am ridiculously grateful for this bronze medal and that was an experience I will NEVER forget! Such an honor to play for the USA and bring home some hardware. Not least of all because of how much love I get from our supporters, thank you all for your positivity, encouragement, and love!”

— From staff reports

— From staff reports