2016 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix

    This kind surprised me because their was a lot screams at each others. First time in my life I saw it Samanta Fabris screaming at Peruans, but again that is only matche.


    So this Final Four for Division 3


    Croatia - Peru


    Kazakhstan - Colombia

    I didn't see that :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

    Quote from Meatballs

    Btw, no offense but even if Kosheleva is back now, I'm worried about her performance. How long she hasnt been playing? Besides, if she was really using Meldonium (which most people assume here), her performance can differ significantly without meldonium. So it is all a big question mark. I hope she will be back to her usual performance, at least until olympics, otherwise Russia is definitely not a medal contender. Ilchenko, Scherban. Pasynkova and whoever plays OH wont be enough for them unless they start receiving like regular teams. I won't be surprised if Marichev uses Goncharova back as OH and Malykh as opposite if they keep receiving with only 2 players.

    I read that interview where Kosheleva admitted to using meldonium.


    "In the youth team of Russia, when I was 15 years old, we were given
    vitamins and meldonium as well. After “Maria Sharapova” case, I learned
    that it’s become a banned substance. Of course, our doctors stop giving
    us meldonium because they knew that it was included on a list of banned
    substance    ”


    I would like to believe that Kosheleva has not used this substance in the recent past if we base it from her statement above. We will be able to assess her performance in the coming days.

    Quote from Matthias

    :rolll: :rolll: :rolll:


    By the way, it's the same referee who made a complete fool of herself in Montreux CHN-NED match. Seems like a slightly crazy woman :whistle:


    Ha ha ha the lady referee, Sonja Simonovska from Montenegro, made fool of herself, in that process created the biggest drama in Montreux 2016 :-)


    Fortunately she isn't suspended (happy for her indeed), but for the time being she just oversaw the tier-3 competition, my guess.


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

    Just thinking about it, things will be pretty interesting in Pool D in Macau, China if this scenario plays out: Serbia beat Brazil, Brazil beat China, China beat Serbia. I will not be surprised if no one comes out with a perfect record out of this pool (Belgium is out of the picture of course). What do you guys think?

    I can`t wait for this Friday at 1am ( my time) when is Brazil vs Serbia. I want Serbia and China to beat Brazil so so bad.


    I would say Brazil could come out with 3 wins right now....


    If Serbia loose 2more games then I dont know if they would still be able to make to the TOP 5? but year they missed the finals and later got silver at the World Cup.


    Lang Ping would probably send a B team once again to the Final Round.


    I love the Grand Prix, is my favorite tournament.


    I cant wait to see if Serbia and China can finally beat Brazil.... :box: :box: :box:

    Quote from inc0gnito

    Just thinking about it, things will be pretty interesting in Pool D in Macau, China if this scenario plays out: Serbia beat Brazil, Brazil beat China, China beat Serbia. I will not be surprised if no one comes out with a perfect record out of this pool (Belgium is out of the picture of course). What do you guys think?


    He he he wait until I get my online order of the latest and the most advanced crystal ball ever made by the legendary Hogwarts School :D :D lol


    Yeah it's a possible, interesting scenario. Other possible scenarios: CHN wins all the three matches there; BRA wins all; SRB wins all. Tough predictions! One thing is deadly sure, the poor BEL is simpy thrown into the inferno... gonna collect a streak of 0-3 :-)


    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”


    Yes, I have seen her playing in Stuttgart live months after ceasing Meldonium use, and she was really intimidating as attacker, I can tell. Our really not bad CL team couldn't stop her at all, in most cases she killed the ball immediately and when once our block could prevent it by braking the ball, pressure was so high, that they couldn't do anything but surrender, so next ball contact by the Russians (Krasnodar, CEV cup challenge round) finished the point. She killed for example one of her trademark 3m spikes very hard onto the sideline, leaving our block and field defense absolutely clue- and helpless. In comparison our block defense could three times do a block kill against Natalia Malykh, no easy task to accomplish, because the opposite had also a very high attack efficiency, but was NOT unstoppable. In my view Kosheleva is still extremely dangerous and Meldonium didn't play any role in her past performance. That substance seems to be rather overrated for me, by the way.

    Quote from StefanS

    Yes, I have seen her playing in Stuttgart live months after ceasing Meldonium use, and she was really intimidating as attacker, I can tell. Our really not bad CL team couldn't stop her at all, in most cases she killed the ball immediately and when once our block could prevent it by braking the ball, pressure was so high, that they couldn't do anything but surrender, so next ball contact by the Russians (Krasnodar, CEV cup challenge round) finished the point. She killed for example one of her trademark 3m spikes very hard onto the sideline, leaving our block and field defense absolutely clue- and helpless. In comparison our block defense could three times do a block kill against Natalia Malykh, no easy task to accomplish, because the opposite had also a very high attack efficiency, but was NOT unstoppable. In my view Kosheleva is still extremely dangerous and Meldonium didn't play any role in her past performance. That substance seems to be rather overrated for me, by the way.

    I honestly find Meldonium case as a political issue. But if it really has a doping effect on players as scientists claimed, then there will be surely a reduction in Kosheleva's performance. That's not only because Meldonium was a super medicine which improved her performance but also mentally, it is a supply she took since she was 15 years old and it will be hopefully easy to convince herself that she is as good without meldonium too.


    P.s. she stopped using meldonium in december I think and the match against Stuttgart was in February, meldonium is supposed to stay in your body up to 3 months or even longer. But again, all these will effect her in the short run, in a year or maybe in Olympics already, we will probably see a monster Kosheleva again. :box:

    Brazil will play with the same group for the first weekend plus Jaqueline and Naiane.


    S: Dani Lins, Roberta, Naiane
    OPP: Sheilla, Tandara
    OH: Fernanda Garay, Natália, Gabi, Mari Paraíba, Jaqueline
    MB: Fabiana, Thaisa, Juciely, Adenízia
    L: Camila Brait, Léia

    Quote from Meatballs

    I honestly find Meldonium case as a political issue. But if it really has a doping effect on players as scientists claimed, then there will be surely a reduction in Kosheleva's performance. That's not only because Meldonium was a super medicine which improved her performance but also mentally, it is a supply she took since she was 15 years old and it will be hopefully easy to convince herself that she is as good without meldonium too.


    P.s. she stopped using meldonium in december I think and the match against Stuttgart was in February, meldonium is supposed to stay in your body up to 3 months or even longer. But again, all these will effect her in the short run, in a year or maybe in Olympics already, we will probably see a monster Kosheleva again. :box:

    Hi...I'm usually a lurker here (too shy to talk) but I see many people think of Meldonium as a super drug. As sports medicine is something that I'm trying to specialize in, I just can't help myself with this :D There is no valid evidence to show that it is a performance enhancing drug. The known pharmacology of this drug shows that it helps to dilate blood vessels, mainly the coronary vessels and thus helps to protect the heart. No reputable scientific study have claimed it to have any performancing enhancing effects in HUMANS. Yes, it helps the sex drive of boars and rabbit, etc. WADA has it as a "suspected" PED and it is their claim...not proof. For them to lump it together with THG, EPO and steroids is just crazy.


    A comprehensive literature search of several databases failed to unearth any cogent evidence of the potential meldonium effect in enhancing physical performance in healthy subjects, with only one clinical trial conducted on a small cohort of old (average >60 year) patients with angina pectoris, to evaluate exercise tolerance. On such minimal findings is the dangerous extrapolation to an assumed performance-enhancing effect of meldonium in healthy elite athletes……If anything, Ms Sharapova and other ill-advised athletes may not have attained their true athletic potential as a result of having taken meldonium. :wall:
    - From A tennis lesson: sharp practice in the science behind the Sharapova case, published in Postgraduate Medical Journal (BMJ) on 1th June, 2016
    http://pmj.bmj.com/content/ear…gradmedj-2016-134124.long


    If that bolded part is true then Kosheleva should come back stronger?? :P Seriously though, the only thing doubtful about her return is how well her achilles tendon will hold up (tendon ruptures are the worst at healing :thumbdown: )

    Quote from zaphod

    Hi...I'm usually a lurker here (too shy to talk) but I see many people think of Meldonium as a super drug. As sports medicine is something that I'm trying to specialize in, I just can't help myself with this :D There is no valid evidence to show that it is a performance enhancing drug. The known pharmacology of this drug shows that it helps to dilate blood vessels, mainly the coronary vessels and thus helps to protect the heart. No reputable scientific study have claimed it to have any performancing enhancing effects in HUMANS. Yes, it helps the sex drive of boars and rabbit, etc. WADA has it as a "suspected" PED and it is their claim...not proof. For them to lump it together with THG, EPO and steroids is just crazy.


    A comprehensive literature search of several databases failed to unearth any cogent evidence of the potential meldonium effect in enhancing physical performance in healthy subjects, with only one clinical trial conducted on a small cohort of old (average >60 year) patients with angina pectoris, to evaluate exercise tolerance. On such minimal findings is the dangerous extrapolation to an assumed performance-enhancing effect of meldonium in healthy elite athletes……If anything, Ms Sharapova and other ill-advised athletes may not have attained their true athletic potential as a result of having taken meldonium. :wall:
    - From A tennis lesson: sharp practice in the science behind the Sharapova case, published in Postgraduate Medical Journal (BMJ) on 1th June, 2016
    http://pmj.bmj.com/content/ear…gradmedj-2016-134124.long


    If that bolded part is true then Kosheleva should come back stronger?? :P Seriously though, the only thing doubtful about her return is how well her achilles tendon will hold up (tendon ruptures are the worst at healing :thumbdown: )

    Thank you so much for all the scientific explanation. I really love discussing things with rational people in this forum and I'm glad I made you register and share your view, because it was really valuable.
    I hope they tell Kosheleva what you are telling here to us so she doesn't need to worry about her performance without meldonium :drink:

    Quote from ossubtus

    what does kubra do that you all hate? i've only seen her glare and have a blank stare, she seems quiet to me.


    goncha on the other hand is often screaming at people's faces.

    I think the problem with her is, she often looks disappointed, most likely to herself because she is really underperforming recently. For instance she gets a set, she is too late and tips the ball or just fixes it and then after the rally, cameras show her face looking angry. This happens really often and I guess most viewers think she is criticizing her teammates for poor sets etc. rather than herself. That makes her look like a princess who thinks she is doing the best on court. I don't think I saw Kubra being aggressive to her opponents though.

    Quote from zaphod

    (...) If that bolded part is true then Kosheleva should come back stronger?? :P Seriously though, the only thing doubtful about her return is how well her achilles tendon will hold up (tendon ruptures are the worst at healing :thumbdown: )

    Kosheleva didn't have an achilles injury, it was an ankle sprain. Though that took unusually long to heal...

    i'm no expert nor a doctor, but to think that meldonium doesn't help the athlete seems quite incredible. if that was the case, then why would so many athletes take it? i read a heart doctor in the news who said, there's no reason for any healthy, young person to be taking this drug. so i don't really think it's so innocent that so many russian athletes were taking it.