JAKE GIBB, seen here during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, will take on South Africa in the opening round of the Beach Volleyball event. The game is scheduled to take place at 3 a.m. MST.
File Photo
But his journey to get back to the Olympic Games has been a difficult one. Gibb’s battle with testicular cancer while dealing with the birth of his second child before the 2011 qualifying events almost completely dashed his dreams of going for a gold medal in his second straight Olympic Games.
Thanks to some good news, and a lot of support from his family and friends, Gibb has turned a negative into a positive as he battled his way through the illness and made his way to London and the Olympic Games.
“I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” said Gibb. “To have my family and friends around me, and to be able to play the game I love means more than anything.”
Gibb’s volleyball career didn’t start until well after high school. After graduating from Bountiful High School, where he played basketball and golf for the Braves before he headed to the University of Utah.
It wasn’t until after college that Gibb, who graduated from Utah with a business degree in 2002, took up beach volleyball on the professional level.He teamed up with his twin brother Cole when they were 21 years old on a tour. During it, Gibb started getting winning acclaim.
Gibb’s professional volleyball career started to take off in 2006, when he partnered up with his current teammate Sean Rosenthal. Two years before, Gibb was named Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Most Improved Player.
For more information check out the July 26 edition of Davis Clipper.
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