Rich Lambourne: Mormon Athlete

Rich Lambourne is a volleyball player in the libero position who competed in two Olympic Games: the 2008 in Beijing, where his team won the gold medal, and the 2012 in London, where the team had an equal-fifth finish. He has coached beach volleyball and has been a speaker, journalist, and commentator.

He was born on May 6, 1975, in Louisville, Kentucky, and was raised in Tustin, California. He was badly injured during a bike accident wen he was six years old. His shoulder was skinned to the bone and the right side of his face was severely damaged. He played his father’s favorite sport—baseball—until he took up volleyball in high school. He played on the Brigham Young University men’s volleyball team and in 1999 BYU took their first NCAA national championship title. In 2000 Lambourne made the US men’s national volleyball team. In 2006, he was named the Pan American Cup Best Defender, and in 2007 and 2008, he was considered the best defensive player as the FIVB World League’s “Best Libero.” In 2007, his team took silver at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Lambourne is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a full-time mission to Hokkaido, Japan.