Meet the German beach volleyball player whose hat has a history of its own

Lars Fluggen probably isn’t trying to make a fashion statement every time he steps on the sand, but the 26-year-old beach volleyball player is still turning heads.

While a modest accessory, the not-quite-white bucket hat atop Fluggen’s head definitely manages to catch the eye. And the Olympian isn’t planning to play without it any time soon.

“I don’t know what will happen if I stop wearing this,” he said earlier in the week.

The hat looks similar to the one worn by the title character of the 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island”, and its origins go back to 1995, when Fluggen was just 5 years old. His mother bought it for him on a vacation in Amrum, a German island in the North Sea, but it didn’t become a regular wardrobe addition until much later.

Fluggen, who started on the junior circuit as a teenager in 2008, discovered the old gift in his closet a few years ago and made it a permanent part of his match attire. He’ll wash the 21-year-old hat following tournaments but not while one is in progress.

Now, making its first appearance in the Olympics, the Gilligan hat has gathered a small following on Twitter.

It was quite a journey for Fluggen and his partner Markus Bockermann to reach Rio in the first place. In the FIVB Qatar Open in April 2016, the two of them reached the semifinals but had to withdraw because Fluggen suffered a knee injury. One month later, the pair entered the championship match of the FIVB Antalya Open, only to have Fluggen’s knee fail him again.

Just two months ago, the German duo successfully qualified in its final opportunity. Hat in tow, the Germans made their way to Rio, entering ranked No. 13 in the world, according to their FIVB World Tour Ranking.

Unfortunately, Fluggen and Bockermann were unable to do much once they reached Rio, though, losing three straight matches. A straight-set loss to the Russian duo of Nikita Liamin and Dmitri Barsouk on Wednesday officially eliminated them from the Olympics.

While the lucky hat didn’t bring much luck in Rio, at least Fluggen will get a chance to wash the sweat and sand out for a fresh start in the next competition.