Rolando Uríos Fonseca (born 27 January 1971) is a former

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player. Born in Cuba, he played for both the

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and the Spain national teams. He was considered one of the best pivots in the world in the first years of the 2000's. Uríos won the World Championship in 2005 in Tunisia with the Spanish national team.

Career

Uríos started playing handball at ESPA Havanna in Cuba. He moved to Europe for the first time in 1997 to join Hungarian KC Fotex Veszprém. Here he won the Hungarian championship and cup in 1998. The following summer he joined French side US Ivry HB. Already in 2000 he was voted as the club's pivot of the century. In 2001 he joined Spanish team

BM Ciudad Real Balonmano Ciudad Real was a Spanish handball team based in Ciudad Real, Castilla La Mancha. BM Ciudad Real played in Liga ASOBAL. History In July 1983 is founded in the city of Ciudad Real a handball club named Asociación Deportiva Cultural ...

. Here he won the 2002 and 2003 EHF Cup Winner's Cup, the Cope del Rey in 2003 and 2008, the Spanish championship in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009, the Copa ASOBAL in 2006 and 2008, the

EHF Champions League The EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men's com ...

in 2007 and 2009, and

IHF Men's Super Globe The Men's Super Globe is a handball competition contested between the champion clubs from continental confederations. On 7 December 2018, the IHF moved the Super Globe to Saudi Arabia for four years, until 2022. In May 2024, the IHF moved the S ...

in 2007 and 2008.Retirement for Rolando Uríos
/ref> In 2009 he retired due to chronic knee injuries. Ciudad Real has retired his number. At the age of 51 he made a short comeback for the Spanish second tier side Vestas Alarcos de Ciudad Real.

National team

With Cube he won the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

in 1991, 1995 and 1999 and the 1989, 1994,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

Pan American championships. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Pan American Championship, and was chosen as the player of the tournament. He represented Cuba at the

1999 World Men's Handball Championship The 1999 World Men's Handball Championship was the 16th edition of the World Championship in team handball. It was held in Egypt, from 1 to 15 June, in the cities of Cairo, Ismailia and Port Said. Sweden men's national handball team, Sweden won ...

, where Cuba finished 8th, which is their best result ever. He was named best pivot of the tournament. The tournament included famously knocking out Denmark in the round of 16. He competed with Cuba in the men's tournament at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. Cuba suffered 5 defeats and was knocked out in the initial groups, but Uríos was despite that the 4th most scoring player at the tournament. He later became a Spanish citizen and switched to representing Spain. He represented his new nation at the men's tournament at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. With Spain he won the 2005 in Tunisia. At the

2006 European Men's Handball Championship The 2006 EHF European Men's Handball Championship was the seventh edition of the tournament and held in Switzerland from 26 January to 5 February 2006, in the cities of Basel, Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Zürich. France won the tournament, goi ...

he won silver medals with Spain.

Private life

He son Rolando Uríos Gonzáles is also a handball player.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uríos, Manuel 1971 births Living people Cuban male handball players Olympic handball players for Cuba Spanish male handball players Olympic handball players for Spain Handball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Handball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics People from Bayamo Sportspeople from Granma Province Pan American Games gold medalists in handball Handball players at the 1995 Pan American Games Handball players at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Naturalised citizens of Spain Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Cuban expatriate sportspeople in France Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate handball players in Spain Expatriate handball players in France Expatriate handball players in Hungary Cuban handball coaches Spanish handball coaches Expatriate handball coaches Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Germany Spanish expatriate handball players in Germany Cuban expatriate handball players