Regla Torres Herrera (born 12 February 1975), more commonly known as Regla Torres, is a Cuban former volleyball player who won three Olympic gold medals with the Cuban women's national volleyball team. Torres began playing on the international circuit at the age of 14.[1] As a middle blocker, she was a key player in the dominance of the Cuban national team of the 1990s.[1][2]
| Regla Torres | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Torres Herrera in 2009 | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Regla Radameris Torres Herrera | ||||
| Born | 12 February 1975 Havana, Cuba | ||||
| Hometown | Havana, Cuba | ||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | ||||
| Spike | 331 cm (130 in) | ||||
| Block | 315 cm (124 in) | ||||
| Volleyball information | |||||
| Position | Front blocker | ||||
| Number | 10 | ||||
| Career | |||||
| |||||
| National team | |||||
| |||||
Medal record | |||||
In 2001, Torres was the recipient of the "Best Player of the 20th Century" award by the FIVB[3] and was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.[1]
Early life
editTorres was born in Havana, Cuba on 12 February 1975.[4] Since she was a young girl, Torres was encouraged by teachers to play sports due to her height.[2] Though her parents separated while she was in primary school, both were involved in her upbringing.[2] While Torres was more interested in the high jump than volleyball, her mother insisted that she focus on the latter.[2] In the fourth grade, Torres was sent to a sports school to develop her athletic talent.[2] At the age of 14, she was sent to the Cerro Pelado school, where she quickly developed her volleyball skills.[2] She then joined the national team in 1989.[2]
Career
editOlympic Games
editTorres won her first Olympic gold medal in 1992 in Barcelona at the age of 17.[1][5] She helped her team to additional gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney,[6] achieving the extraordinary feat of winning three Olympics in a row.[1][5] She was selected as the best spiker at the Sydney Olympics.[3]
Pan American Games
editTorres helped the Cuban team to the gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, at the age of 16.[4] She won another gold medal with the national team at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.[4]
World Cups and World Championships
editTorres helped Cuba win gold medals at the 1991 and 1995 FIVB World Cup in Japan.[1] She also helped Cuba win the 1994 FIVB World Championship in Brazil and the 1998 FIVB World Championship in Japan, and was selected as the MVP in both tournaments.[7]
World Grands Prix
editTorres won additional gold medals with the Cuban team at the 1993 and 2000 FIVB World Grand Prix in Japan.[1][2]
Awards
edit- Three-time Olympic gold medal — 1992, 1996, 2000
- Two-time FIVB World Cup gold medal — 1991, 1995
- Two-time Pan American Games gold medal — 1991, 1995
- Two-time FIVB World Grand Prix gold medal — 1993, 2000
- Two-time FIVB World Championship gold medal — 1994, 1998
- Two-time FIVB World Championship MVP — 1994, 1998
- Olympic best spiker, MVP — Sydney 2000
- FIVB Best Player of the 20th Century — 2001
- International Volleyball Hall of Fame — 2001
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Regla Torres Herrera". International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 22 August 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Coll Untoria, Jorge Luis (27 November 2023). "La armadura de Regla Torres". Oncubanews.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Best Volleyball Player Of The 20th Century - Female". FIVB. Archived from the original on 21 December 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
- ^ a b c "Regla Torres". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ a b "'The Spectacular Caribbean Girls': Cuba's three volleyball golds in a row". Olympics.com. 19 January 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ Roberts, Selena (1 October 2000). "Sydney 2000: Volleyball; Cuba Cruises to Third Straight Gold". The New York Times. sec. 8 p. 13. Retrieved 6 September 2024. (subscription required)
- ^ Gunston, Jo (22 September 2022). "Volleyball: The most asked questions about women's indoor volleyball". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
