- Mirka Francia
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Mirka Francia Personal information Full name Mirka Francia Vasconcelos Nationality 
Cuba/
ItalyBorn February 14, 1975
Villa Clara, CubaHometown Perugia Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Weight 73 kg (160 lb) Spike 324 cm (128 in) Block 310 cm (120 in) Volleyball information Position Wing Spiker Current club 
Eczacıbaşı ZentivaNumber 13 National team 1991 - 2000 CubaHonoursWomen’s Volleyball Competitor for CubaOlympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Team Gold 2000 Sydney Team World Championship Gold 1994 Brazil Team Gold 1998 Japan Team World Grand Champions Cup Silver 1997 Tokyo Team FIVB World Cup Gold 1999 Japan Team World Grand Prix Gold 1993 Team Gold 2000 Team Silver 1994 Team Silver 1996 Team Silver 1997 Team Bronze 1995 Team Bronze 1998 Team NORCECA Championship Gold 1991 Regina Team Gold 1993 Colorado Springs Team Gold 1995 Santo Domingo Team Gold 1997 Caguas Team Gold 1999 Monterrey Team Pan American Games Gold 1991 Santo Domingo Team Gold 1995 Santo Domingo Team Bronze 1999 Santo Domingo Team Last updated: March 2010 Mirka Francia Vasconcelos (born 14 February 1975 in Villa Clara) is a Cuban-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.
Contents
Life and career
Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, 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",[1] and the 2007 CEV Cup when she was awarded "Best Scorer".[2] 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[3] and the Best Spiker, Best Server and Top Scorer of the 2009 Turkish Championship.[4]
Clubs
- Romanelli Firenze (1998–1999)
- Sirio Perugia (1999–2008)
- Eczacibasi Zentiva Istanbul (2008–2012)
Awards
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
References
- ^ CEV. "Second Indesit Champions’ League trophy for Colussi PERUGIA". http://www.cev.lu/mmp/online/website/news/news_archive/news_archive_2008/news_archive_2008_04/11476_EN.html. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- ^ CEV. "Sirio perugia wins CEV cup after Champions League". http://www.cev.lu/mmp/online/website/news/news_archive/news_archive_2007/news_archive_2007_03/8353_EN.html. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
- ^ Voleibol Portol. "Stepanenko y Contreras galardonados por la CEV como mejores jugadores de la primera fase de la Champions" (in Spanish). http://www.voleibolportol.com/ampliar.php?id=12715. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
- ^ Volleyball.it. "Turchia: Il Fenerbahce vince il campionato femminile" (in Italian). http://www.volleyball.it/redazione/layoutReader.php?action=viewArticle&articleId=45105. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
External links
Categories:- 1975 births
- Living people
- Cuban volleyball players
- People from Santa Clara, Cuba
- Cuban people of Black African descent
- Italian volleyball players
- Italian people of Cuban descent
- Italian people of Black African descent
- Naturalised citizens of Italy
- Olympic gold medalists for Cuba
- Olympic volleyball players of Cuba
- Volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Eczacıbaşı volleyball players
- Women's volleyball players
- Olympic medalists in volleyball
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