Thaísa Daher de Menezes (Portuguese pronunciation: [taˈizɐ daˈɛʁ dʒi meˈnezis]; born 15 May 1987) is a Brazilian professional volleyball player. She won back-to-back gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She has won numerous Best Spiker and Best Blocker Awards and is often singled out as one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time.[1]
| Thaísa Menezes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Thaísa Daher de Menezes | ||
| Born | 15 May 1987 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Spike | 318 cm (125 in) | ||
| Block | 308 cm (121 in) | ||
| Volleyball information | |||
| Position | Middle blocker | ||
| Current club |  Minas Tênis Clube | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| National team | |||
| |||
Honours | |||
Biography
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2023) |
Thaísa was born in the Campo Grande district, located in the western part of Rio de Janeiro. Her father is a serviceman Domingos de Menezes and her mother Monica Daher is a descendant of immigrants from Lebanon. Until the age of 13, Thaísa was engaged in swimming, but then, following the example of her brother Tiago, she switched to volleyball.
A year later, she was accepted into the youth team of the Tizhuk club, where Julio Cugna, one of the best mentors for working with young athletes, became her coach. In 2002, Thaísa was invited to the Minas team (Belo Horizonte)- one of the strongest in Brazil, with which she won her first club level medal that same season, becoming the silver medalist of the Brazilian championship. In the same 2002 (at the age of 15), Thaísa made her debut in two teams of her country at once - youth and junior, becoming the champion of two championships of South America with them. A year later, the volleyball player became the world champion both among youth teams and among juniors.[2][3]
Career
editMenezes was part of the Brazilian team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[4]
Menezes won the silver medal with Sollys Osasco at the 2010 FIVB World Club Championship. She also earned the Best Spiker award.[5]
At the 2011 Pan-American Cup, Menezes was given the Best Blocker award,[6] and also won the gold medal with her national team.[7]
Menezes was part of the national team who won the gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico.[8]
In the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix, Menezes won the silver medal with her national team and the individual award of Best Blocker.[9]
Menezes was part of the national team which won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games held in London, UK.
Playing with Sollys Nestlé Osasco, Menezes won the gold medal and the Best Spiker award in the 2012 FIVB Club World Championship held in Doha, Qatar.[10]
Menezes claimed the silver medal in the 2014 FIVB Club World Championship, playing with Molico Osasco, when her team lost 0–3 to the Russian Dinamo Kazan the championship match. She was named among the championship Best Team as Best Middle Blocker.[11]
Menezes played with her national team,[12] winning the bronze at the 2014 World Championship[13] when her team defeated Italy 3–2 in the bronze medal match.[14]
Menezes retired from the national team in 2018. In 2023, she announced her return to the team and played in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League as well as the Olympic qualifying tournament. She was part of Brazil's roster in the 2024 Paris Olympics. After winning bronze in the 2024 Olympics, she announced her retirement once again.
Clubs
edit- Minas Tênis Clube (2002–2005)
- Rio de Janeiro Vôlei Clube (2005–2008)
- Osasco Voleibol Clube (2008–2016)
- Eczacıbaşı VitrA (2016–2018)
- Hinode Barueri (2018–2019)
- Minas Tênis Clube (2019–)
Awards
editIndividual
edit- 2010 FIVB Club World Championship – "Best Spiker"
- 2011 Pan-American Cup – "Best Blocker"
- 2011 FIVB World Grand Prix – "Best Server"
- 2012 Summer Olympics South American qualification – "Best Blocker"
- 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix – "Best Blocker"
- 2012 South American Club Championship – "Best Blocker"
- 2013 FIVB Club World Championship – "Best Spiker"
- 2013 FIVB World Grand Prix – "Most Valuable Player"
- 2013 FIVB World Grand Prix – "Best Middle Blocker"
- 2013–2014 Brazilian Superliga – "Best Blocker"
- 2014 FIVB World Championship – "Best Middle Blocker"
- 2014 FIVB Club World Championship – "Best Middle Blocker"
- 2016 FIVB World Grand Prix – "Best Middle Blocker"[15]
- 2020 South American Club Championship – "Most Valuable Player"
- 2021–2022 Brazilian Superliga – "Best Middle Blocker"[16]
- 2022–2023 Brazilian Superliga – "Best Middle Blocker"
- 2023 South American Championship – "Best Middle Blocker"
Clubs
edit- 2005–06 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Rexona-Ades
- 2006–07 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Rexona-Ades
- 2007–08 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Rexona-Ades
- 2009–10 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Sollys Osasco
- 2011–12 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Sollys Osasco
- 2020–21 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Itambé/Minas
- 2021–22 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Itambé/Minas
- 2022–23 Brazilian Superliga – Runner-up, with Gerdau/Minas
- 2023–24 Brazilian Superliga – Champion, with Gerdau/Minas
- 2009 South American Club Championship – Champion, with Molico Osasco
- 2010 South American Club Championship – Champion, with Molico Osasco
- 2011 South American Club Championship – Champion, with Molico Osasco
- 2012 South American Club Championship – Champion, with Molico Osasco
- 2014 South American Club Championship – Runner-up, with Molico Osasco
- 2015 South American Club Championship – Runner-up, with Molico Osasco
- 2020 South American Club Championship – Champion, with Itambé/Minas
- 2024 South American Club Championship – Runner-up, with Gerdau/Minas
- 2024 South American Club Championship – Champion, with Gerdau/Minas
- 2010 FIVB Club World Championship – Runner-up, with Sollys Osasco
- 2012 FIVB Club World Championship – Champion, with Sollys Nestlé Osasco
- 2014 FIVB Club World Championship – Runner-up, with Molico Osasco
- 2016 FIVB Club World Championship – Champion, with Eczacıbaşı VitrA
References
edit- ^ ""This will be my last chance at WCH Gold"- Brazil's Thaisa". Volleymob.com. 29 September 2018.
- ^ UOL Olimpíadas - Thaísa
- ^ Pan 2007 - Thaisa
- ^ "Thaísa Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- ^ FIVB. "Fenerbahce crowned Women's Club World champions". Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ NORCECA (9 July 2011). "Brazilian Sheilla Castro the MVP of the Pan Am Cup". Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ Confederación Sudamericana de Voleibol (10 July 2011). "Copa Panamericana Femenina: Brasileñas son nuevas reinas" (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2011.
- ^ FIVB (20 October 2011). "Brazil wins fourth Pan Am Games gold medal". Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ FIVB (1 July 2012). "USA complete World Grand Prix title hat-trick". Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- ^ "Trentino Diatec and Sollys Nestle crowned in Doha". Doha, Qatar: FIVB. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ "Russia's Kazan capture Women's Club World championship in style". Zurich, Switzerland: FIVB. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "Team Roster – Brazil". FIVB. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ "USA win first World Championship title, China and Brazil complete the podium". Milan, Italy: FIVB. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ Carneiro, Leandro (12 October 2014). "Brasil passa sufoco e quase toma virada, mas conquista bronze ante Itália". UOL (in Portuguese). Milan, Italy. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ "Brazil win record 11th title in World Grand Prix". Fédération Internationale de Volleyball. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ Globo (30 April 2022). "Macris é MVP, e Minas domina seleção da Superliga Feminina" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 May 2023.