Elena Keldibekova (born 23 June 1974 in

Almaty Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...

, Kazakhstan,

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

) is a Kazakhstani-Peruvian retired volleyball player who played as setter for the Peru national team.

Personal life

Keldibekova was born in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

to a family of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n origin. She moved to Peru when she was 19 years old to play one season for the Club Regatas volleyball club, but decided to stay in the country after the season was over. She is married to Johnny Westreicher, a Peruvian former volleyball player of German ancestry. The two met during her time at Club Regatas, as her then coach for the team. With Westreicher, Keldibekovava had a son named Jan. Keldibekova is fluent in German, Russian and Spanish.

Career

Keldibekova arrived to Peru and played the 1996/97 season with Regatas Lima. She was with the Peru National Team in the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Her team finished winless in tied 11th place. In 2009, she claimed the Peruvian League Championship with her club Regatas Lima, after defeating Latino Amisa. Keldibekova became famous because of her saving

kick A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...

during the qualification tournament to the 2010 World Championship, when she saved a ball during the semifinals against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Keldibekova won the Best Setter award and the silver medal in the 2010 Pan-American Cup. Later she won the silver medal, as well the Best Server and Best Setter awards at the 2010 Final Four Cup, held in Peru. As part of the national team in

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approximat ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

at the 2011 Montreux Volley Masters, she won the Best Setter award, the team was in 7th place. At the 2011 Pan-American Cup, Keldibekova was awarded with the ''Best Setter'' award, also finishing eighth with the national team

Patricia Soto Diana Patricia "Patty" Soto (born 10 February 1980) is a Peruvian volleyball player, and has captained the Peru women's national volleyball team. She competed in the women's tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2010 FIVB Volleyball Women's ...

, captain of Peru's national team, was injured previous to the 2011 World Grand Prix and the first round of the 2011 South American Championship. Keldibekova was the team captain for both tournaments. She played for the Italian team Time Volley Matera in 2012. She decided to retire in 2013.

Coaching

Keldibekova returned to

Regatas Lima Club de Regatas Lima (CRL) (Spanish for ''Lima Regatta Club'') is a sports club in Lima, Peru, one of the oldest sport clubs in South America and the biggest sports club in Peru. History The Club de Regatas Lima was founded in 1875 as a rowing ...

to play the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons. Keldibekova became the assistant coach of

' men's volleyball team that finished third in the 2013 season.

Clubs

* Regatas Lima (1996–2004) * TV Fischbek Hamburg (2004–2006) * Regatas Lima (2006–2010) * Lokomotiv Baku (2010–2011) * Time Volley Matera (2012) * Regatas Lima (2012–2013) *

Circolo Sportivo Italiano Circolo Sportivo Italiano is a Peruvian football club, playing in the department of Pueblo Libre, Lima. History The club have played at the highest level of Peruvian football on nine occasions, from 1926 Peruvian Primera División until 1934 Pe ...

(2018–2020)

Awards

Individuals

* '' 2010 Pan-American Cup "Best Setter"'' * '' 2010 Final Four Cup "Best Server"'' * '' 2010 Final Four Cup "Best Setter"'' * '' 2011 Montreux Volley Masters "Best Setter"'' * '' 2011 Pan-American Cup "Best Setter"'' * '' 2011 South American Championship "Best Setter"'' * '' 2012 Pan-American Cup "Best Setter"''

National Team

Senior Team

2005 Bolivarian Games The XV Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'') were a multi-sport event held between 12–21 August 2005 in Armenia and Pereira, Colombia. Some events took place in Cartagena de Indias and in Bogotá. The Games were organized by the ...

- Gold Medal * 2009 South American Championship - Bronze Medal *

2010 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup The 2010 Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup was the ninth edition of the annual women's volleyball tournament, played by eleven countries from 18–26 June 2010 in Rosarito and Tijuana, Mexico. The intercontinental event served as a qualifier for ...

- Silver Medal * 2010 Final Four Women's Cup - Silver Medal * 2011 South American Championship - Bronze Medal

Clubs

* 2008-09 Peruvian League - Simple cup icon

Champion, with Regatas Lima * 2010-11 GM Capital Challenge Cup - Gorm silver cup

Runner-up, with Lokomotiv Baku

References

External links

FIVB Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keldibekova, Elena 1974 births Living people Sportspeople from Almaty Kazakhstani emigrants to Peru Kazakhstani women's volleyball players Kazakhstani people of Russian descent Peruvian people of Russian descent Peruvian women's volleyball players Naturalized citizens of Peru