Thomas Hodges

• Age: 30
• Sport: Beach Volleyball
• Olympic History: Paris 2024 (17th in Men’s Beach Volleyball)
  
• Club: South Australian Sports Institute, former University Blues Volleyball Club member

A natural athlete, Thomas Hodges, grew up competing at a high level in multiple sports. It was indoor volleyball, however, that piqued his interest and it is what he pursued after school. Winning consecutive national championships as a member of the University Blues Volleyball team, he was now on his way to international success.

He made his international debut for Australia in 2014 against China, marking the first of 75 games he played for his country. He then competed in the NCAA for UC Irvine before playing professionally in Europe.

A few years later, Thomas suffered a major shoulder injury that required surgery. What was initially a setback, turned into an exciting opportunity.

Having only dabbled in beach volleyball prior to his injury, he found himself doing rehabilitation alongside the South Australian volleyballer, Zachery Schubert, and from here, a successful partnership began. “We were both doing rehab together while the other pairs were out overseas playing,” Thomas said.

The duo first competed together in 2022, making podium appearances a total of six times at futures, national or continental tournaments. In the following season, they won the Jurmala Challenge before qualifying for round 16 at the 2023 World Championships and earning a spot in the world's top 10.

They went on to win the 2023 Asian Beach Volleyball Championship title.