Ihosvany Hernández Rivera (born , in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ) is a Cuban former
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
player and three-time Olympian who played with the
Cuban men's national volleyball team. He competed with the national team at the
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
,
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, and 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 ...
.
He helped the Cuban team win the silver medal at the
1990 FIVB World Championship and the bronze medal at the
1998 FIVB World Championship.
Hernández also helped the Cuban national team win gold medals at the
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
and
1999 Pan American Games
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and surrounding towns and ...
, and a bronze medal at the
1995 Pan American Games
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...
.
2001 Defection
In 2001, Hernández was one of six players on the Cuban men's national volleyball team to leave a hotel they stayed at in
Flanders, Belgium
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture ...
for a tournament, and from there rode a train to Italy for political asylum.
The other players were
Leonel Marshall, Jorge Luis Hernández,
Ángel Dennis
Ángel Dennis Diaz (born 13 June 1977) is a Cuban-born Italian volleyball player.
Biography
He played for IVECO Palermo from 1998 to 2000. With Cuba national team, he won a World League in 1998 and an America's Cup in 2001, before abandoning h ...
, Yasser Romero, and
Ramón Gato
Ramón Gato Moya (born ) is a former Cuban male volleyball player. He was part of the Cuba men's national volleyball team. He competed with the national team at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the ...
.
Once they were granted asylum in Italy, this group was referred to as "the defectors".
Clubs
* Ciudad de Habana (1990)
References
External links
Ihosvany Hernández at Olympics.comOlympedia Profile: Ihosvany Hernández*
Volleybox.net Profileat Sports-reference.com (archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Ihosvany
1972 births
Living people
Cuban men's volleyball players
Volleyball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Olympic volleyball players for Cuba
Sportspeople from Havana
Resovia (volleyball) players
Pan American Games medalists in volleyball
Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba
Pan American Games bronze medalists for Cuba
Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games
20th-century Cuban people
Middle blockers
Cuban expatriate volleyball players
Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Puerto Rico
Defecting sportspeople of Cuba
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Argentina
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Romania
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Poland
Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Cuban volleyball coaches
Expatriate sports coaches
Expatriate volleyball players in Romania
Expatriate volleyball players in Argentina
Expatriate volleyball players in Poland
Expatriate volleyball players in Italy
Expatriate volleyball players in Puerto Rico
Expatriate volleyball players in Turkey
Naturalised citizens of Italy
Naturalised sports competitors
Italian men's volleyball players
Italian expatriate volleyball players
Italian people of Cuban descent
Cuban emigrants to Italy