The two experienced setters will make their fifth appearance in the Games at the French capital
Published 01:00, 25 Jul 2024
Brazilian captain Bruno Rezende has one gold and two silvers in four Olympic appearances
Every edition of the Olympics brings new volleyball players to the Games, as after years of hard work and success, they end up being picked by their country’s national teams to represent them on the biggest stage of international sports.
Many players get to experience that not one, but multiple times, and the Paris 2024 Games, which start on Saturday, have a particularly strong and accomplished group of Olympic veterans, who will help their teams with their vast experience in the event.
At the age of 38, Bruno will make his fifth Olympic appearance in Paris, his third as Brazil’s captain. The setter made his Olympic debut with a silver medal in Beijing 2008 and repeated the result four years later in London. He led Brazil to an unforgettable home victory at the Rio 2016 Games and, after not bringing a medal home for the first time three years ago, in Tokyo, when they were fourth, will be determined to take the team back to the podium at the French capital.
The legendary Serbian setter will celebrate her 40th birthday during the Paris Games, which will be her fifth with the team and where she'll also have the honor of being one of her country's flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony. She returned home empty-handed from both Beijing 2008 (5th) and London 2012 (11th), but was a key piece in the team’s successful campaigns at Rio 2016, which generated a silver medal, and Tokyo 2020, where they earned bronze. Gold is the only medal missing for Ognjenović and she’ll go after it in Paris.
Ognjenović needs gold to complete her collection of Olympic medals
The two main pillars of the Argentinean national team over more than a decade, 36-year-old setter Luciano De Cecco and 34-year-old outside hitter Facundo Conte will lead their national team in their fourth appearance in the Games in Paris. After helping the team secure a fifth-place finish in their first two Olympics (London 2012 and Rio 2016), De Cecco and Conte were instrumental as the South Americans took bronze in Tokyo 2020, returning to the Olympic podium after 33 years. In Paris, De Cecco will also appear as one of Argentina's flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony.
The MVP of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, 37-year-old outside hitter Jordan Larson has been with the American national team since 2009, which led her to make three Olympic appearances before Paris. Before winning gold in the Japanese capital three years ago, she helped the team take silver in London 2012 and bronze in Rio 2016, completing a full set of medals. Larson indicated she could retire from the American national team after Tokyo, but returned for potentially a final Olympic run in Paris.
After Bruno, 38-year-old middle blocker Lucas Saatkamp is the longest-tenured member of the Brazilian national team that will compete in Paris starting this week. He made his debut winning silver in London 2012 and was a starter in the team that topped the podium in front of their home fans at the Rio 2016 Games. The fourth-place finish in Tokyo 2020 is considered by Lucas his main frustration with the national teams and he’ll do whatever it takes to take the team back to the podium in Paris.
Lucas was with Brazil when they won gold in Rio eight years ago
Italy’s defensive fortress since 2006, 37-year-old libero Monica De Gennaro is heading to her fourth Olympic appearance in Paris – she’s the only player in the squad to have participated in the country’s campaign in London 2012, which ended with the Italians in fifth place. After ranking ninth in Rio 2016 and sixth in Tokyo 2020, De Gennaro remains determined to give Italy their first-ever Olympic medal.
De Gennaro is vastly recognized as one of the best liberos in the world
The leader and a key player for Poland, 35-year-old opposite Bartosz Kurek has participated in each of the country’s three Olympic campaigns and is set to make his fourth appearance in Paris, his first as the team’s captain. He made his debut as an outside hitter in London 2012 and moved to his current role for the Rio 2016 Games. In both events and the Tokyo 2020 Games, the Polish couldn’t make it past the quarterfinals, finishing fifth, and that’s something Kurek and his teammates will try to change in Paris.
VNL 2024: The best of Bartosz KurekBARTOSZ KUREK 🇵🇱! At Paris 2024, the opposite will compete in his fourth Olympics with the same goal and that is to win the gold medal. 📺 Watch the VNL replays on http://vb.tv. ⏰ #Paris2024 #Volleyball Schedule: https://bit.ly/4cOfZdo. 🛍️ Buy your own Olympic #volleyball: https://bit.ly/4cXOZbc. 🇫🇷 #Paris2024 #Volleyball
Posted by Volleyball World on Saturday, July 20, 2024
The only two-time Olympic champion to compete in Paris, 37-year-old Brazilian middle blocker Thaisa Menezes will be one of the stars of the women’s volleyball tournament. She helped Brazil triumph in back-to-back editions of the Games, winning gold in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, and was also with the team that ranked fifth in Rio 2016. After dealing with injuries, she sat out of the Tokyo 2020 Games, but returned to the team last year with the goal of fighting for another Olympic medal in Paris.
Two of the most popular faces of the American squad that will play in Paris, 37-year-old opposite Matt Anderson and 39-year-old middle blocker David Smith are among the most experienced players in a team that has no shortage of it. The two were with the team when they finished fifth in London 2012, got to celebrate their first Olympic medals by winning bronze at Rio 2016 and endured the frustration of a tenth-place finish in Tokyo three years ago.
