Thaísa Daher de Menezes (; born 15 May 1987) is a Brazilian professional

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. She won back-to-back gold medals at the

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. She has won numerous Best Spiker and Best Blocker Awards, and is often singled out as one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time.

Biography

Menezes was born in the

Campo Grande Campo Grande (, ) is a city in the Central-West Region, Brazil, central and western Regions of Brazil, region of Brazil, Capital city, capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Historically a Fortification, stronghold of Separatism, separatists ...

district, located in the western part of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. Her father is former serviceman Domingos de Menezes and her mother, Monica Daher, is a descendant of immigrants from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. Until the age of 13, Thaísa was engaged in swimming, but then, following the example of her brother Tiago, she switched to volleyball. A year later, she was accepted into the youth team of the Tizhuk club, where Julio Cugna, one of the best mentors for working with young athletes, became her coach. In 2002, Menezes was invited to the Minas team (Belo Horizonte)- one of the strongest in Brazil, with which she won her first club level medal that same season, becoming the silver medalist of the Brazilian championship. In the same 2002 (at the age of 15), Menezes made her debut in two teams of her country at once, youth and junior, becoming the champion of two championships of South America with them. A year later, the volleyball player became the world champion both among youth teams and among juniors.

Career

Menezes was part of the Brazilian team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Menezes won a silver medal with Sollys Osasco at the 2010 FIVB World Club Championship. She also earned the Best Spiker award. At the 2011 Pan-American Cup, Menezes was given the Best Blocker award, and also won a gold medal with her national team. Menezes was part of the national team who won a gold medal at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Guadalajara 2011, were an international multi-sport event held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby c ...

held in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. In the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix, Menezes won a silver medal with her national team and the individual award of Best Blocker. Menezes was part of the national team which won a gold medal at the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

held in London, UK. Playing with Sollys Nestlé Osasco, Menezes won a gold medal and the Best Spiker award in the 2012 FIVB Club World Championship held in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

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. Menezes claimed the silver medal in the 2014 FIVB Club World Championship, playing with Molico Osasco, where her team lost 0–3 to the Russian Dinamo Kazan the championship match. She was named Best Team as Best Middle Blocker at the championship. Menezes played with her national team, winning a bronze medal at the 2014 World Championship when her team defeated Italy 3–2 in the bronze medal match. Menezes retired from the national team in 2018. In 2023, she announced her return to the team and played in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League as well as the Olympic qualifying tournament. She was part of Brazil's roster in the 2024 Paris Olympics. After winning bronze in the 2024 Olympics, she announced her retirement once again.

Clubs

* Minas Tênis Clube (2002–2005) * Rio de Janeiro Vôlei Clube (2005–2008) * Osasco Voleibol Clube (2008–2016) * Eczacıbaşı VitrA (2016–2018) * Hinode Barueri (2018–2019) * Minas Tênis Clube (2019–)

Awards

Individual

Clubs

* 2005–06 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Rexona-Ades * 2006–07 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Rexona-Ades * 2007–08 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Rexona-Ades * 2009–10 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Sollys Osasco * 2011–12 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Sollys Osasco * 2020–21 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Itambé/Minas * 2021–22 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Itambé/Minas * 2022–23 Brazilian Superliga – Gorm silver cup

Runner-up, with Gerdau/Minas * 2023–24 Brazilian Superliga – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Gerdau/Minas * 2009 South American Club Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Molico Osasco * 2010 South American Club Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Molico Osasco * 2011 South American Club Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Molico Osasco * 2012 South American Club Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Molico Osasco * 2014 South American Club Championship – Gorm silver cup

Runner-up, with Molico Osasco * 2015 South American Club Championship – Gorm silver cup

Runner-up, with Molico Osasco * 2020 South American Club Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Itambé/Minas * 2024 South American Club Championship – Gorm silver cup

Runner-up, with Gerdau/Minas * 2024 South American Club Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Gerdau/Minas * 2010 FIVB Club World Championship – Gorm silver cup

Runner-up, with Sollys Osasco * 2012 FIVB Club World Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Sollys Nestlé Osasco * 2014 FIVB Club World Championship – Gorm silver cup

Runner-up, with Molico Osasco * 2016 FIVB Club World Championship – Simple cup icon

Champion, with Eczacıbaşı VitrA

References

External links

Athlete bio at 2008 Olympics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menezes, Thaisa 1987 births Living people Volleyball players from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian women's volleyball players Brazilian people of Lebanese descent Volleyball players at the 2007 Pan American Games Volleyball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Volleyball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Olympic volleyball players for Brazil Olympic gold medalists for Brazil Olympic medalists in volleyball Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists for Brazil Pan American Games silver medalists for Brazil Brazilian expatriate volleyball players in Turkey Pan American Games gold medalists in volleyball Pan American Games silver medalists in volleyball Middle blockers Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Sportspeople of Lebanese descent Volleyball players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Brazil 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen