Larissa França
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Larissa França Maestrini[1] (born April 14, 1982) is a Brazilian beach volleyball player. She is the all-time leader of beach volleyball titles, with 57 FIVB career gold medals, including the 2011 Beach Volleyball World Championships with Juliana Felisberta and the 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour with Talita Antunes.[2] She was inducted to the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2023.[3]
Career
With Felisberta, França won two Pan American Games titles (in 2007 and 2011)[4] and the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[5] Four years prior, França had had to play the 2008 Summer Olympics with Ana Paula Connelly following an injury to Felisberta, finishing in fifth place. She also won the bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, partnering Ana Richa. After a brief two year retirement following the 2012 Olympics, França went back to activity in 2014 in a double with Talita Antunes. The duo went on to win the gold medal at the 2015 Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals and earn a spot into the 2016 Summer Olympics.[6] The pair participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. The pair won their quarterfinal match against the Swiss team of Joana Heidrich and Nadine Zumkehr in a nail biting match of three sets (21-23, 27–25, 15-13) in the quarter final played on August 14, 2016.[7] The pair lost in straight sets to Ludwig and Walkenhosrt in the semifinal match. Next they went for bronze.[8] They lost to the American team of April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings in 3 sets of (21–17, 17–21, 9–15); they finished 4th.[9]
Personal life
França was born in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, and moved at a young age to the state of Pará. A sports enthusiast from her youth, she earned a volleyball scholarship in high school and went on to start her professional career at Tuna Luso Brasileira. She moved to beach volleyball in 2001, following an event held by the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation in Fortaleza.[10]
References
- ↑ "PLAYERS' DATABASE: Athlete's biography". Fédération Internationale de Volleyball. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ↑ "Larissa named top player of World Tour 2015". FIVB. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ 2023 Volleyball Hall class includes Phil Dalhausser, Larissa, Katsutoshi Nekoda, Yumilka Ruiz
- ↑ "SI". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011.
- ↑ "Beach volleyball women's results - London 2012 Olympics". Olympic.org.
- ↑ "Ft. Lauderdale Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals - Match Schedule / Results". FIVB.
- ↑ "FIVB - Volleyball".
- ↑ Ludwig & Walkenhorst dominate Brazilians for golden Beach berth
- ↑ Warshaw, Amelia (19 August 2016). "The Biggest Medal Upsets at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics". Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ↑ Larissa França: rainha das quadras de areia, Diário do Pará (in Portuguese)
External links
- Larissa França at the FIVB beach volleyball database
- Larissa França at the Beach Volleyball Database
- {{COB profile}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
- {{Olympics.com profile}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
- {{Olympedia}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
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- 1982 births
- Living people
- Brazilian women's beach volleyball players
- Beach volleyball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Beach volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Olympic beach volleyball players for Brazil
- Olympic medalists in beach volleyball
- Olympic bronze medalists for Brazil
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Beach volleyball players at the 2003 Pan American Games
- Beach volleyball players at the 2007 Pan American Games
- Beach volleyball players at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for Brazil
- Pan American Games bronze medalists for Brazil
- Brazilian people of Portuguese descent
- Sportspeople of Portuguese descent
- Brazilian people of Catalan descent
- Sportspeople from Pará
- Sportspeople from Cachoeiro de Itapemirim
- Sportspeople from Espírito Santo
- Federal University of Rio de Janeiro alumni
- Beach volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games medalists in volleyball
- Beach volleyball defenders
- FIVB World Tour award winners
- Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games