Kosheleva retires from national team

Russian volleyball star Tatyana Kosheleva announced her retirement from the national team earlier this week, but will continue her club career in Italy. The 32-year-old outside hitter posted the announcement on Instagram less than a month before the Olympic Games are due to begin in Tokyo.

“Throughout my career, I have felt incredible support from the fans. I always knew that I could be honest with you," she wrote. "Today, also honestly, I want to talk about an important and difficult decision that I have taken. I am not going to the Olympic Games and I am ending my career with the Russian national team.”

A gold medallist at the 2010 FIVB Volleyball World Championship, a two-time Olympian, a two-time FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix medallist and a two-time European champion, Kosheleva returned to the national team in 2020 to take part in the Kaliningrad Oblast Governer’s Cup invitational, Russia’s only tournament that season. In May and June, she was on her country's team again at the FIVB Volleyball Nations League in Rimini, Italy.

“The Tokyo Olympics was my dream and inspiration. I was recovering from injuries thinking about the tournament and closing my eyes to all the difficulties. But today, listening to myself and to my heart, I understand that I must stop. For the first time in my life, I favour myself, my comfort and my tranquillity. I say goodbye to the team that I love and to which I gave my soul,” Kosheleva’s post continued.

Tatyana Kosheleva started playing for the Russian national team in 2007 and has since tallied 162 caps in official competitions and scored a total of 2,217 points. As a national team player, she picked up a number of individual awards, including World Championship Best Spiker in 2010, FIVB Volleyball World Cup Dream Teamer in 2015 and EuroVolley MVP in 2013 and 2015.

“You will probably ask about the reasons for this decision. I will say this right away: everything with my health is fine, I was not kicked out of the national team, I am not afraid of competition, I am not pregnant, I did not betray anyone, and I did not quarrel with anyone. I just feel this way and trust myself. Believe me, the decision was not easy for me, but it was necessary. My support and love remain with the team. The girls know that they can rely on me and that I am with them in my thoughts. Goodbye, my favourite team!” the post ended.

However, Kosheleva is set to continue playing at club level. In her next Instagram post, the Russian star announced that she would spend the next season with Italy’s Megabox Vallefoglia.

Kosheleva’s club career has seen her play for teams in Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Italy and China and peaked at the 2016 FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship, where she triumphed with the trophy as a member of Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul and was named on to the Dream Team of the championship for a second time in a row. Most recently, she played for another Turkish club, Galatasaray HDI Istanbul.

“Life is always much more than just victory or defeat. I have an incredible sporting career and I am glad that you are always with me,” Kosheleva said. “My career continues and this season I will play in the Italian championship. I am sure this will be another beautiful chapter of my life. See you on the court...”

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