Other names: TORRES HERRERA, Regla

Born: 12 February 1975

Birthplace: Havana (Cuba)

Nationality: Cuba

Sport: Volleyball

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Barcelona 1992

Atlanta 1996

Sydney 2000

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 3

Details

Other results:

World Championships

Gold: 2/b> (94, 98)

The ebony tower

At 1.91m tall, Regla Torres seemed a natural for the sport of volleyball. A middle blocker and attacker, she was a member of the Cuban team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and played in the final, in which the Cubans defeated the team from the former Soviet Union in four sets. Only 17½ years old at the time, Torres remains the youngest volleyball gold medalist in the history of the Olympics. By 1994, she had progressed so much that at the world championships, which was won by Cuba, she was voted Most Valuable Player of the tournament. The Cuban team got off to a slow start at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, losing in pool play to both Brazil and Russia.

However, they won the remaining games to successfully defend their title. More honours were to come Torres' way. After leading Cuba to another world championship in 1998, she was again chosen the best player of the tournament. In 2000, the International Volleyball Federation voted Torres the title of the Best Woman Player of the Twentieth Century. At the 2000 Sydney Games, Torres led Cuba to an unprecedented third Olympic title in a row. The final was particularly dramatic as the Cubans outlasted Russia in five sets, 25-27, 32-34, 25-19, 25-18, 15-7.