Mirka Francia
Encyclopedia
Mirka Francia Vasconcelos (born 14 February 1975 in Villa Clara
) is a Cuba
n-Italian
volleyball
player who has won two Olympic
gold medals with the Cuba women's national volleyball team
. At 1.84 meters (6 ft) tall, she played as a blocker before becoming a hitter in 2004.
, Francia first played volleyball at age ten and joined the junior national team in Havana
four years later. With the national team she won two gold medals, at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta
and at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
. She also played on the Cuban national team that won the Volleyball World Championship
in 1994
and 1998
.
In the 1998-1999 season she played for Romanelli Firenze in the Italian second division before joining Sirio Perugia
for the following season. She skipped the 2000-2001 season because of pregnancy, but rejoined Sirio Perugia the next year. With the team she has won the Italian Championship three times (2002–2003, 2004–2005, 2006–2007) and the Italian Cup two times (2003, 2005), also winning the Women's CEV Champions League
in 2006 and 2008 also being awarded "Best Spiker", and the 2007 CEV Cup
when she was awarded "Best Scorer". She acquired Italian citizenship in 2004, but has declined to play for the Italy women's national volleyball team
due to family matters.
For season 2008/2009 she started playing for the Turkish team Eczacibasi Istanbul
. With this team she won the "Best Scorer" title for the Champions League regular season 2009 and the Best Spiker, Best Server and Top Scorer of the 2009 Turkish Championship.
(1999–2008) Eczacibasi Zentiva Istanbul (2008–2012)
Villa Clara Province
Villa Clara is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is located in the central region of the island bordering with the Atlantic at north, Matanzas Province by west, Sancti Spiritus by east, and Cienfuegos on the South. Villa Clara shares with Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus on the south the Escambray...
) is a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n-Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
player who has won two Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medals with the Cuba women's national volleyball team
Cuba women's national volleyball team
The Cuba women's national volleyball team is the national team of Cuba.Cuba women's national volleyball team was the first team to break the USSR's and Japan's domination in the world women's volleyball by winning the 1978 World Women's Volleyball Championship.Cuba women's national volleyball team...
. At 1.84 meters (6 ft) tall, she played as a blocker before becoming a hitter in 2004.
Life and career
Born in Santa Clara, CubaSanta Clara, Cuba
Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. It is located in the most central region of the province and almost in the most central region of the country.- History :Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on July 15th, 1689...
, Francia first played volleyball at age ten and joined the junior national team in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
four years later. With the national team she won two gold medals, at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. She also played on the Cuban national team that won the Volleyball World Championship
Volleyball World Championship
The FIVB World Championship is an international men's and women's indoor volleyball competition. It is the oldest and most important of all the international events organized by the FIVB and must not be confused with the FIVB World Cup or the FIVB World League/FIVB World Grand Prix.-Origins:The...
in 1994
1994 FIVB Women's World Championship
The 1994 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship was the twelfth edition of the tournament, organised by the world's governing body, the FIVB...
and 1998
1998 FIVB Women's World Championship
The 1998 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship was the thirteenth edition of the tournament, organised by the world's governing body, the FIVB...
.
In the 1998-1999 season she played for Romanelli Firenze in the Italian second division before joining Sirio Perugia
Pallavolo Sirio Perugia
Pallavolo Sirio Perugia is an Italian volleyball club based in Perugia.-History:The team was created in 1970 in Perugia. It won five times the Italian National League, three the Italy's Cup, twice the European Champions League and one the Italy's Supercup....
for the following season. She skipped the 2000-2001 season because of pregnancy, but rejoined Sirio Perugia the next year. With the team she has won the Italian Championship three times (2002–2003, 2004–2005, 2006–2007) and the Italian Cup two times (2003, 2005), also winning the Women's CEV Champions League
Women's CEV Champions League
The Women's CEV Champions League or Women's Indesit European Champions League is the top official competition for women's volleyball clubs of Europe and takes place every year.- Formula :...
in 2006 and 2008 also being awarded "Best Spiker", and the 2007 CEV Cup
Women's CEV Cup
The Women's Challenge Cup is an official competition for women's volleyball clubs of Europe and takes place every year. It was started in the 1980/81 season under the name CEV Cup. In 2007 it was renamed to Challenge Cup.-CEV Cup:-Challenge Cup:...
when she was awarded "Best Scorer". She acquired Italian citizenship in 2004, but has declined to play for the Italy women's national volleyball team
Italy women's national volleyball team
The Italy women's national volleyball team is the national team of Italy that takes part in international volleyball competitions. It is governed by the Federazione Italiana di Pallavolo...
due to family matters.
For season 2008/2009 she started playing for the Turkish team Eczacibasi Istanbul
Eczacibasi Istanbul
Eczacıbaşı Istanbul is a Turkish volleyball club which is playing their home matches at the Eczacıbaşı Spor Salonu hall in Istanbul. The team participated in the Women's CEV Champions League 2007-08...
. With this team she won the "Best Scorer" title for the Champions League regular season 2009 and the Best Spiker, Best Server and Top Scorer of the 2009 Turkish Championship.
Clubs
Romanelli Firenze (1998–1999) Sirio PerugiaPallavolo Sirio Perugia
Pallavolo Sirio Perugia is an Italian volleyball club based in Perugia.-History:The team was created in 1970 in Perugia. It won five times the Italian National League, three the Italy's Cup, twice the European Champions League and one the Italy's Supercup....
(1999–2008) Eczacibasi Zentiva Istanbul (2008–2012)
Individuals
- 1999 FIVB World Cup "Best Blocker"
- 2008 Champions League Final Four "Best Spiker"
- 2009 Champions League Regular Season "Best Scorer"
- 2009 Turkish Championship "Top Scorer"
- 2009 Turkish Championship "Best Spiker"
- 2009 Turkish Championship "Best Server"
Clubs
- 2000 Copa Coppe -
Champion, with Despar Perugia - 2003 Italian Cup - Champion, with Despar Perugia
- 2003 Italian Championship -
Champion, with Despar Perugia - 2005 Italian Cup - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2005 CEV Cup - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2005 Italian Championship - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2005–06 CEV Indesit Champions League - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2006 Coppa di Lega - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2007 Italian Cup - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2007 CEV Cup - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2007 Italian Championship - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2007 Italian Super Cup - Champion, with Sirio Perugia
- 2007–08 CEV Indesit Champions League - Champion, with Colussi Perugia
- 2009 Turkish Championship - Runner-Up, with Eczacibasi Zentiva Istanbul
- 2011 Turkish Cup -
Champion, with Eczacıbaşı VitrA