Yanelis Santos Allegne (born 30 March 1986, in

Ciego de Ávila Ciego de Ávila City () is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The city has a population of about 497.000, in a municipality of 756,373. Geography Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway ...

) is a

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 from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, who represents the women's national team as a setter/opposite in the international team competition since 2002. Santos was named "Best Server" at the 2007 FIVB World Cup and the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Career

Santos started playing volleyball as a twelve year old in 1998, then joined the Senior national team in 2001. Santos played with her national team at the

. Even though they had previously defeated the US 3-0, this time they lost 0-3, falling to their nerves and own mistakes. They lost the bronze medal match to China, 1-3. Santos was named the tournament's "Best Server". Santos led the Cuban national team to the silver medal during the 2011 Montreux Volley Masters. She won with her national team the silver medal at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

held in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. She also won the bronze medal and the Best Spiker award at the 2011 NORCECA Championship. In the 2012 Pan-American Cup held in

Ciudad Juarez Ciudad () is the Spanish word for City Ciudad may also refer to: * La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona *La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico *''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970 *La Ciudad ''The City ...

, Mexico, she won the "Best Spiker" and "Best Server" awards, as well as the bronze medal with her national team. Santos held the fastest female

spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

record, measured at 103 km/h (64 mph). Santos was awarded 2012 Female Athlete of the Year in a team sport by the Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) and the Union of Cuban Journalists' Sports Writers Circle. She signed with Voléro Zürich, moved to Switzerland and later was transferred on loan to the Russian club

Leningradka Saint Petersburg Leningradka (''russian: Ленингра́дка'') is a Russian women's volleyball club based in Saint Petersburg and plays in the Super League, the top Russian league. Previous names * Spartak Leningrad (1935–1977) * TTU Leningrad (1978–19 ...

for the 2014/15 season. She later signed for the Turkish İlbank Ankara for the 2015–16 season.

Awards

Individual

* 2007 FIVB World Cup "Best Server" * 2007 Montreux Volley Masters "Best Server" * 2008 Final Four Cup "Best Server" * 2008 Summer Olympics "Best Server" * 2009 NORCECA Championship "Best Server" * 2011 NORCECA Championship "Best Spiker" * 2012 Summer Olympics NORCECA qualification tournament's "Best Server" * 2012 Pan-American Cup "Best Spiker" * 2012 Pan-American Cup "Best Server"

References

External links

FIVB profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Yanelis 1986 births Living people Cuban women's volleyball players Volleyball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic volleyball players of Cuba Volleyball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Volleyball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Volleyball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for Cuba Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Pan American Games medalists in volleyball Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Cuba Competitors at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Opposite hitters Setters (volleyball) Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in volleyball Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games People from Ciego de Ávila 21st-century Cuban women 20th-century Cuban women