She’s always been one of the inspiring volleyball players of all time!
Eleonora Lo Bianco has achieved a great deal over the course of her volleyball career, but the moment in August when she was given a late call-up for the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Italy 2014 was particularly special.
“It was hard to think that there would be a World Championship in Italy and that I would not be playing,” said the 34-year-old, describing her emotions. “Of course I’m happy. Very happy to be back in the national team with the blue shirts.” And the goal is a clear one: “Lend a hand to this team.” And in so doing, she will join other global stars like Francesca Piccinin in their efforts to put a smile back on the face of Italian volleyball fans.
Together with coach Marco Bonitta, Italy’s players have their sights set on turning back the clock. In 2002, twelve years ago, Lo Bianco was already part of the Italian team which travelled to Germany and won the only Women’s World Championship title for their volleyball-mad country. Brilliant setter Lo Bianco is ready to play a major role again, and is most certainly not lacking motivation. “I think an athlete, a sports person, is not there to think about what he did and what he has won. There is always something that you’re missing, something that you still want to prove or conquer. Over the years, my desire to do well has not changed, nor has the effort I put in.”
That is why she has become something of a legend in Italy and not only in volleyball circles. With over 520 appearances for the national team, Eleonora Lo Bianco holds the Italian record for all sports. As well as the 2002 World Championship title, she has also led Italy’s volleyball ladies to a host of other titles and medals in the European Championship, the Grand Champions Cup and the World Grand Prix. She has numerous “best setter” awards at major tournaments.
Former national coach Massimo Barbolino, who now coaches Turkey, once described her as the “strongest setter in the world. She has acute instincts and a special ability from a technical and tactical point of view. She has incredibly soft hands for precision, and also a smart mind, which allows her to make the right choice in the key plays.” Another successful coach – Brazilian Marcos Kwiek – said of Lo Bianco: “The way she executes is reserved for virtuosos. She possesses the ability to read the opposition defence at lightning speed and make her team-mates feel comfortable.”
Her career is all the more astonishing because she is very small for a volleyball player, standing just 1.71m tall. However, her incredible ball skills and amazing abilities in the setter position saw her progress from her beginnings as a 15-year-old in the Italian Serie C division to her debut with the Italian national team in 1998. For over a decade, she has been calling the shots from that position and has led the Azzurri to the biggest successes in their history. And it is no exaggeration to say that volleyball also gave Eleonora Lo Bianco her life back.
In 2010, after the last World Championship in Japan, the star athlete was diagnosed with breast cancer. “It was very scary. They were particular emotions and fears, particularly because it lets me see everything differently,” she said at the time. However, she was back playing volleyball just three days after surgery. “Volleyball helped me to get back to life. That made me even more powerful.”
It was with this approach to life that Eleonora Lo Bianco won many Italian championships for her club, as well as triumphing in the European Champions League with Bergamo. Since 2011, she has played her volleyball in Turkey, first at Galatasaray Istanbul and as of next season with Fenerbahce. She should actually have joined her new club for their pre-season preparations, but then came the call from Marco Bonitta and the return to the Italian team. “I have just informed my new club team that I will arrive later. First of all I have a mission to accomplish.” The legendary setter is hoping to put the smile back on Italian faces.
(image: get sport media)
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