Ben O'Dea

Beach volleyballer Ben O'Dea won bronze alongside his brother Sam at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The brothers dominated the bronze medal match against England to earn the podium spot as beach volleyball debuted at the Games.

A shoulder injury forced the O'Dea to refrain from major international competitions for much of 2017 but he enjoyed success on an international level over the past few years, including winning the AVC Beach Tour overall title.

O'Dea grew up in Tauranga where he started playing beach volleyball in 2002 at Otumoetai College. He continues to live and train in Mount Maunganui under coaches Markus Diekmann and Craig Seuseu.