Osmany Juantorena
Personal information
Full nameOsmany Juantorena Portuondo
NationalityCuban
Italian
Born (1985-08-12) 12 August 1985 (age 38)
Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
Height2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight85 kg (187 lb)
Spike370 cm (146 in)
Block340 cm (134 in)
Volleyball information
PositionOutside hitter
Current clubValsa Group Modena
Number5
Career
YearsTeams
1997–2004Orientales de Santiago
2004–2006Ural Ufa
2009–2010Itas Diatec Trentino
2010→ Al Arabi Ad-Dauha (loan)
2010–2013Itas Diatec Trentino
2013–2015Halkbank Ankara
2015–2022Cucine Lube Civitanova
2022–2023Shanghai Golden Age
2023Ziraat Bankasi
2023–Valsa Group Modena
National team
2003–2006 Cuba (76)
2015–2021 Italy
Honours
Men's volleyball
Representing  Cuba
World League
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Belgrade
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2003 San Domingo Team
Representing  Italy
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2015 Japan
European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Bulgaria/Italy
Last updated: 21 October 2022

Osmany Juantorena Portuondo (born 12 August 1985) is a Cuban-born Italian professional volleyball player,[1] a member of Cuba national volleyball team in 2003–2006 and current member of Italian club Modena Volley.[2] Juantorena was bronze medalist of the 2005 World League and silver medalist 2016 Summer Olympics. He is a multiple winner of the CEV Champions League and FIVB Club World Championship with the Italian club Trentino Volley. Juantorena is the record owner of the highest number of Most Valuable Player awards at FIVB Club World Championship, with 4 times.[3]

Personal life

Juantorena was born in Santiago de Cuba. He is a nephew of Alberto Juantorena, a Cuban former track runner and politician. Osmany Juantorena and his wife Glenda became first time parents on May 3, 2013 with the arrival of their first baby daughter named Victoria. On September 23, 2018 with arrival second baby daughter named Angelica.[4]

He is fan of Inter and in 2019 he launched a shoe line.[5]

Career

Clubs

He started his junior career as 12 years old in the Orientales de Santiago. After several years in Cuba, he moved to his first professional club in the Russian league – Ural Ufa – but in November 2006 he received a two-year ban for doping.[6][7] He agreed to move to Italian club Itas Diatec Trentino when the suspension ended, but the move was obstructed by the Cuban authorities (he was still under their jurisdiction, having moved to Russia with permission rather than defected like some compatriots) and his absence continued across a third year into 2009.[8]

He had immediate success upon resuming his career with Trentino, winning the gold medal at the CEV Champions League twice (2009/10, 2010/11) and the bronze medal in 2012,[9] four gold medals in the FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012),[10] one gold medal (2010/11) and two silver (2009/10, 2011/12) in the Italian Championship, and two Italian Cups (2010, 2012). In May 2010 he had a short loan in Qatar, returning to Trentino in September of that year where he agreed a contract extension and obtained Italian citizenship.[11] In 2012/13 he won another domestic Cup and League Championship.

After moving to Halkbank Ankara in 2013, Juantorena helped the team achieve the Turkish SuperCup and the title of Turkish champion. Another SuperCup followed in 2014. In April 2015, he announced that he would continue his career with Cucine Lube Civitanova.[12]

National Team

Juantorena (blue #5) at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games final, Italy against Brazil

Juantorena first stormed the international stage from 2003 up to 2006 with Cuba; he won a bronze medal at the 2005 FIVB World League.[13] Juantorena joined the Italy national team in 2015, claiming a European championship bronze and FIVB World Cup silver medal in the same year. He had a hugely positive impact on Italy's attacking prowess going into the 2016 Summer Olympics, his first such tournament, and the team claimed the silver medal.[14]

Sporting achievements

Clubs

Itas Diatec Trentino

Halkbank Ankara

Cucine Lube Civitanova

National team

Cuba

Italy

Individual

References

  1. ^ Volley: Juantorena a Trento fino al 2015. Ora è italiano – sport.repubblica.it
  2. ^ Osmany Juantorena | DAO Spa
  3. ^ Juantorena makes comeback for 4th MVP award | FIVB - Press release
  4. ^ Juantorena Is Now A Daddy! – volleywood.net – 04-05-2013
  5. ^ "Uno zio "d'oro", le scarpe di Roca, l'Inter e… Nel mondo di Juantorena". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-01-10.
  6. ^ Кубинский волейболист попался на допинге [Cuban volleyball player caught doping], Vremya, 21 November 2006 (in Russian)
  7. ^ Con las manos vacías [With empty hands], ESPN, 23 November 2006 (in Spanish)
  8. ^ La FIVB sblocca la situazione, Osmany Juantorena tesserato per la Trentino Volley [The FIVB unblocks the situation, Osmany Juantorena registered for Trentino Volley], Trentino Volley, 24 August 2009 (in Italian). Archived version, 2015
  9. ^ Final Four 2012: Trentino z brązowym medalem – belsport.pl – 18-03-2014
  10. ^ Club World Championships review – Trentino unstoppable – fivb.org – 28-12-2012
  11. ^ Osmany Juantorena prolunga il contratto sino al 2015 [Osmany Juantorena extends his contract until 2015], Trentino Volley, 22 September 2010 (in Italian). Archived version, 2015
  12. ^ TRANSFER BOMB IN ITALY: Juantorena agrees to join Lube! – worldofvolley.com – 21-04-2015
  13. ^ Star of Rio 2016
  14. ^ Repubblica Osmany Juantorena

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Osmany Juantorena Portuondo.
Awards Preceded by Dante Amaral Best Receiver of FIVB World League 2005 Succeeded by- Preceded by- Best Server of FIVB Club World Championship 2009 Succeeded by Luciano De Cecco Preceded by Matey Kaziyski Best Spiker of FIVB Club World Championship 20102011 Succeeded by Jan Štokr Preceded by Matey Kaziyski William Arjona Most Valuable Player of FIVB Club World Championship 2010201120122017 Succeeded by Wallace de Souza Aaron Russell Preceded by Matey Kaziyski Maxim Mikhaylov Most Valuable Player of CEV Champions League 2009/20102010/20112018/2019 Succeeded by Mariusz Wlazły Preceded by Wilfredo León Ivan Zaytsev Best Outside Spiker of CEV Champions League 2017/2018ex aequo Wilfredo León Succeeded byTBD Preceded by– Best Outside Hitter of FIVB World Cup 2015 ex aequo Yūki Ishikawa Succeeded by Wilfredo León Yūki Ishikawa
Italy men's volleyball squad – 2016 Summer Olympics – Silver medal
Italy – 2015 FIVB World Cup – Silver medal
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