The Polish naturalized Cuban Wilfredo León, for many the best volleyball player in the world, will be one of the athletes born in Cuba whose mastery can be enjoyed at these Olympic Games.
Wilfredo, who will turn 31 years old precisely during the event, will compete for Poland, the country that granted him citizenship since 2015, where he found love and has started a family.
"Cuba will always have a place in my heart, Poland is my present and my future," he said in an interview with olympics.com in 2020.
A native of Santiago de Cuba, he has been competing for Poland since 2019. With his team, he won the VNL and the European Championship for the second time last year, a tournament in which he was awarded the MVP title. He arrives in Paris with a serving speed record of 138 km per hour, achieved in 2020.
He made his debut at 14 years old with the national team of Cuba, with which he played until 2012, when he decided to leave in search of better opportunities in professional sports.
"When I was 13-14 years old, my teammates were 23, 24, 27... some veterans were even 29 years old. I had to learn to live with that, even with some jokes that were too heavy for a kid my age at the time. It strengthened my character, gave me discipline and the tools to live in this world, and made me understand which was the right path to follow," he said on one occasion.
After leaving Cuba, he first played for Zenit Kazan in Russia, from 2014 to 2018. There he won the Champions League four times in a row, as well as the 2017 FIVB Club World Championship.
In 2018, already considered one of the top stars of world volleyball, he joined the Italian club SIR Safety of Perugia. In his first season, he won the Coppa Italia and set the new record for aces (94) in the history of the Italian championship. Up until this year, when he announced his departure, the Cuban had won three Coppa Italia and four Supercoppe.
"I only prepare to win gold, not silver or bronze. I train to win, and winning leads you to gold," he stated.
At 2.02 meters tall and weighing 96 kg, León has managed to combine his physical qualities with intense training to achieve exceptional conditions that make him stand out on the court: great serving speed, a high jumping ability, and a super powerful spike.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under: