Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth share their favorite sunglasses

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Best friends do everything together. In the case of Team USA’s Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, that includes playing in the Paris Olympics. The beach volleyball duo first formed their partnership-turned-friendship in 2020 at Louisiana State University and turned pro in 2021. Now, at just 26 years old, they’re in the final stages of Olympic training, spending the last few weeks preparing for the Games in the Louisiana heat.

“It’s been a little warm here, so we’ve been tight every day,” says Kloth, politely downplaying the 75 percent humidity. “It’s really a grind in the best possible way. Everything, even if it’s harder and more challenging — these are all things we wanted.”

Of the essentials the couple plans to pack for Paris, sunglasses are at the top of their list. “I don’t think I could play this sport without them,” Nuss says, showing off a pair of pink polarized lenses from Zenni Optical’s new line of sports performance sunglasses. “We’ll probably be wearing different sunglasses throughout the games, depending on what the sun is doing.”

People might think beach volleyball players wear goggles just to protect themselves from the sun, but Nuss and Kloth say the real reason is much more layered. “Almost like glasses, our goggles are necessary,” says Kloth, explaining how goggles protect against sand, sun, stray volleyballs and everything in between. “It[could be]the tiniest grain of sand, but it can just really irritate your eyes.” Nuss and Kloth prefer Zenni because of its impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses, 180-degree vision and adjustable nose pads to prevent slippage.

Besides sunglasses, there’s another Olympic staple the two never play without: their matching friendship anklets. The anklets were originally a gift from Nuss to Kloth, emblazoned with the date “August 11, 2024” — the day the two hope to become gold medalists together. “We actually did a fun little braid design,” Nuss says. “Now, to hold our anklet together, we have red, white, and blue.”

The pair’s path to gold has already moved faster than they could have ever imagined. They handle the pressure by leaning on each other: the ultimate Olympic essential. “I needed someone else. I couldn’t have done it alone,” Kloth says. “I mean, there are days I wake up and think, ‘Oh my god, I don’t want to go to the gym,’ or ‘I don’t want to go to practice,’ but Kristen is here dancing,” she laughs.

“She has energy, I have to find energy. I’m going to get through this. I’m going because I can’t let her down.”

Shop at Nuss and Kloth’s ApexRacer Pro sunglasses ($127) lower, and prepare for them to go after gold.

Chandler Plante is an Assistant Editor for PS Health & Fitness. She previously worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her spare time, she overshares online and creates content about chronic illness, beauty, and disability.