Italian volleyball starlets give Rio a taste of what's to come at Olympic Games
Miriam Sylla and Paola Egonu among twentysomethings in action at Grand Prix event in Barra Olympic Park
Despite her tender age Miriam Sylla (left) is an inspirational force in the Italian team (Photo: CBV/Alexandre Loureiro)
Volleyball fans in Rio de Janeiro this weekend will be able to see some of the young stars who could light up the Olympic Games in August. The Brazil stage of the women's Grand Prix series is being staged at Carioca Areana 1 in Barra Olympic Park, and Italy have brought some of their most promising prospects to town.
Twelve of the 14 players on the Italian team were born in the 1990s and the most eye catching is 21-year-old Miriam Sylla. Always smiling and joking with her team-mates, the 1.81m wing spiker from Sicily is one of coach Marco Bonitta's big hopes for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. And being Italian, she naturally has a striking sense of style...
Italy, ranked eighth in the world, gave hosts and world no. 3 Brazil a fright in their opening Grand Prix match on Thursday, but eventually went down 3-1. “I was really excited to play against Brazilians such as Sheila, a great player who I've followed since I was a kid,” said Sylla, who admitted the young Italians made some errors but was insistent that they have what it takes to compete at the “top level”.
In stark comparison to Sylla is Paola Egonu, a 17-year-old with a calm presence and an imposing 1.89m of height. Both were called into the Italian side last year as Bonitta sought to blood new players ahead of the Olympic Games. The average age of the team is 23, alhough depending on who is on court, it could drop to 20.
Egonu is one of the Italian young guns out to leave their mark on Rio 2016 (Photo: Getty Images/Koki Nagahama)
The two other teams in the Rio stage of the Grand Prix, which runs until Sunday, are Japan and Serbia. In Thursday's other game, the Japanese beat the Serbs 3-0.
While the Olympic tournament will take place in the Maracanãzinho, the home of Brazilian volleyball, the Grand Prix is taking place in Carioca Arena 1, which will host basketball during the Olympic Games, to allow organisers to further test operations with large crowds at Barra Olympic Park.
Women's volleyball groups defined for Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Women's volleyball schedule: USA v China among highlights of Rio 2016 pool stage
