The perfect combination of experience and youth in the Cuban volleyball team is paying off. The Caribbean closed the first week of the Volleyball Nations League 2024 with very good results that make the dream of securing a place for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games more real. And two of those responsible for this good progress are the experienced Robertlandy Simon and Michael Sanchezwho returned to the team this year.
Simón, 36, and Sánchez, 38, returned to the Cuban team to compete in the tournament that will define the distribution of the last five Olympic places. “They are two athletes who feel for Cuba, from the first moment they have shown their willingness to play with the team, we all want to participate in the Olympic Games and we know that the VNL 2024 is fundamental, and they are two athletes who, due to the experience they have and “The level they have will make it comfortable for them to rejoin the team of young boys,” commented the Cuban technical director, Jesús Cruz, to the program Cubavision Sports.
Their experience connected in the best way with a team of young people who dream of reaching the top. “From the start, these young boys are their followers. Simón is currently one of the best center backs in the world, who doesn’t want to play with a player of that kind,” added Jesús Cruz.
The most important chapter that Robertlandy Simón wrote in the Cuban team occurred in 2010, when he was the captain of the historic team that took second place in the World Cup in Italy, after losing to Brazil. After that achievement, the 2.06 m tall athlete retired from the national team and was absent until 2019, when he made his first comeback. Last year he again made the decision to resign, but now he returned for glory and dreams of writing a new chapter at Paris 2024.
In the case of Michael Sánchez, the 2.06 m tall Cuban was an important piece along with Simón in the team that won the bronze medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. He then had a series of injuries that prevented him from being present in the national team and later he resigned, leaving and returning in the same years that Simón did.
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