2020 Olympic Games - Tokyo (Female)

  • It definitely was. Sheshenina was just 19, Tishchenko had surgery on both knees just a few months before OG and she could hardly even walk normally, Tebenikhina was good in the slide attack but I don't think I've ever seen a MB worse in blocking than her on high level. 16 years later it's still a mystery to me how they did it. Sure, Sokolova and Gamova played the major role, but apparently it was one of the matches where Karpol would unfold his magic. And to be fair, in the final Russia played really really well and pushed China to the edge!


    Totally agree. It reminds me a little bit the WCH 2006 final, where Brazil was by far superior than Russia in more than the half of the positions. Nevertheless, Russia did it again.

    But in Athens, the gap was even bigger. With all the due respect to Sheshenina, she was galaxies far to the level and experiencie of Fernanda, as well as Fofao. Two setters with many tournments over them, many nerve-wrecking matches, etc. Tebenikhina was a ghost in block in that match, as well as Tishchenko. I am almost sure Sheshenina was the top blocker from the russian side. That the setter is your top blocker in a team as Russia...it meant a lot.

    About bench, well, Brazil beat Russia by far too. Karpol only had Artamonova there, who was injured. I know volleyball isnt just played with tecnic, strength, etc, but also with the brain and how to hold the emotions. Karpol had many Olympic SFs over him, it cleared helped a lot his team. So funny he was still screaming to her players even when they came tied the game many times :D and then cool down.

    And last, Russia was trashed 3-0 in the preliminary round by China. Despite of all the level gap, again in the setter position (please..Kun Feng vs Sheshenina :!:), Russia was just 2 points away from the gold medal.


    PS: Was Elisangela injured?

  • I've just finished watching OG 2000 finals. Watching so many jump-servers bombing all over the court was amazing! They were not the most technical team but Cuban Nt will always be my favourite team. Such power and passion make watching them pleasure:love: And they are all so charismatic:obey:


    Russia was attacking from zone 5 a lot. Is there any other team doing it nowadays?:teach:

  • Sassà looked so young and sweet at the same time. You can start loving her just from that. :heart:

    Speaking of young and sweet looking, Fabiana made some appearances there.


    I don't know what happened with Ze's "I said two! I said two" for the sub situation, but in an OG Tie-Break a couple line faults and an overpass can do you in.


    Poor Mari hit the match point out of bounds. She had a pretty good match though. She certainly can jump.

  • Even China struggled against Russia in 2004 because of their block. Kun Feng won the game because she was a phenomenon and runned as much combinations as she could. Whenever the ball slowed down, russians had easy way to block China just stretching their arms. And China missed Zhao Ruirui at the time, but Zhang Ping played the tournament of her life.


    What a team! :obey:


    Feng Kun - Zhou Suhong

    Yang Hao - Song Nina

    Liu Yanan - Zhao Ruirui / Zhang Ping

    Zhang Na


    In 2006 Godina-Sokolova stepped their game up and played an hell of final against Brazil.

  • I've just finished watching OG 2000 finals. Watching so many jump-servers bombing all over the court was amazing! They were not the most technical team but Cuban Nt will always be my favourite team. Such power and passion make watching them pleasure:love: And they are all so charismatic:obey:

    Cubans :heart:.


    Russia was attacking from zone 5 a lot. Is there any other team doing it nowadays?:teach:

    Continuously AFAIK no, Boskovic used to attack from 5 at Eurovolley 2017, and how that i have in my mind Sylla attack from zone 5, but i am not sure, but that is just few individuals. Actually Herbots attack when she is in backline, somewhere between 5 and 6 (even near to 5).

    I love that Russian combination and i think that it can be useful nowadays.


    *edit:

    I think that Parubets also used to attack from 5 in Uralochka.

  • why was Godina missing during 2004 OG? Injury?

  • Poor Mari. I read in a forum that people were dragging her to hell and back. They seemed to forget that the youngest player on that team carried the team — a huge pressure for someone who just arrived from a Club team. They also forgot that Mari scored more points that night than the MVP Gamova. There are 5 others attackers on the court that day and people chose to put the blame in Mari.


    Thank God Beijing Olympics happened. The gold medal has Mari’s name written all over it.

  • why was Godina missing during 2004 OG? Injury?

    She had a big fight with Karpol. I was shocked when I read it. :white:


    Basically she refiused to be a slave in Uralochka. She said a lot things!


    She said Karpol wanted to sign a 10 years contract with her in 1998, in order to sent her around the world for huge amount of money, like it happened when she went to Croatia, Japan and Turkey. Eventually she signed, because she felt like she had no choise. One day he said her "you're going to Dubrovnik tomorrow", that's how she found out she was going to play in Croatia for the 1997-98, when she won the Champions League. She admitted that players earned good money when they played on loan, but he earned way more and invested it on Uralochka (facilities, balls, nets...).


    She did all that he asked, like playing injured for 2 years (1999-2001) and got the surgery she needed just when he agreed she could. During the 2002 summer he also stopped calling her by her name and used "this" in its place and forced her to train with the youth NT instead of the senior one. She even had to play middle blocker. Her teammates used to avoid her because she was a betrayer inside the team.


    Ather the 2002 WCH, she came back to Ekaterinburg and tried to be released by the club, but it didn't happen, so she missed the 2002-03 season, because she was sold to Azerrail and refused to go there; at the time she wanted a contract resolution, becuase in her opinion the players' contract in Uralochka violated the human rights. After a year far from volley, in 2003 she was called by Tenerife and went there to play. When he found out, she was banned from the competitions by VVF for 2 years, despite she was fired by Uralochka since the previous year. They had a legal fight that she won eventually (right after the OGs). So she managed to get back on court in december 2003 thanks to temporary transfert by FIVB.


    That very same season she won the Champions League with Tenerife and was awarded MVP of the Final 4. When they met Uralochka in the pool stage her former teammates weren't allowed to talk to her anymore, she was greeting Tishchenko, Safronova, Belikova and they turned away.


    It's all here: http://volleyballnews.ru/blog/1647.html

  • Wow! 2004 OG was the first volleyball game I've ever watched that's why I'm illiterate about what happened before that 🙈 I've read the autobiography of Karpol( I recommend every volleyball lover to check it out) but he didn't mention about thks drama with Godina.🤔


    Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation:drink:

  • OMG! I knew the outcome but I was still surprised because Russia was playing reaaaaaally bad until 24-19 at the fourth set :white:I loved Tebenikhina, she has the attitude :cheesy: She looks a bit like Georgian btw. I also feel like all those Brazilian players are still active :P

  • I must have watched the critical parts of that match about 50 times in the last 16 years, and it remains the biggest meltdown I've ever watched. It's not like Russia all of a sudden started to play well, simply Brazil totally and completely lost their heads :white: So many mistakes, and especially the same mistakes all over again. Mari footfaulting and hitting out like a dozen balls after 24:19, Virna getting blocked one on one several times, middle attacks not working at all anymore. It's inexplicable and forever will be ?(

  • Had Brazil prevailed that day, I think they have what it takes to beat China in the final.

  • And anyone knows why Belikova was not present in Athens? I saw her playing in Montreux that year. Actually she ended up with NT very early.

    I'm thinking the same with Vassilevskaya.