Myriam Sylla

{{Infobox volleyball biography

| name = Myriam Fatime Sylla

| fullname = Myriam Fatime Sylla

| image = Myriam Sylla 1.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Sylla in 2013

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|January 8, 1995}}

| birth_place = Palermo, Italy

| height = {{convert|1.84|m|in|0|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|80|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| spike = {{convert|320|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| block = {{convert|315|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}

| college =

| position = Outside Hitter

| currentclub =

Vero Volley Milano

| currentnumber = 17

| years1 = 2010-2011

| team1 = {{flagicon|ITA}} Progetto Volley Orago

| years2 = 2012-2013

| team2 = {{flagicon|ITA}} MC-Carnaghi Villa Cortese

| years3 = 2013-2018

| team3 = {{flagicon|ITA}} Volley Bergamo

| nationalyears = 2015–present

| nationalteam = {{flagicon|Italy}} Italy

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{ITA}}}}

File:Olympic rings.svg

| medaltemplates-expand = set to "yes" to auto-expand medaltemplates section

| updated =

|years4=2018-2022|team4={{flagicon|ITA}} Imoco Volley|years5=2022-present|team5={{flagicon|ITA}} Vero Volley Milano}}

Myriam Fatime Sylla is a professional Italian volleyball player. She plays outside hitter for both the Italian Women's National Volleyball Team, and the Italian volleyball club, Vero Volley Milano in the A1 division of the Lega Volley Femminile.

She competed at the 2015 European Games in Baku, the 2015 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix,{{Cite web|url=http://worldgrandprix.2015.fivb.com/en/finals-1/competition/teams/ita-italy/players/miryam-fatime-sylla?id=44755|title=Player - Miryam Fatime Sylla - FIVB World Grand Prix 2015|website=worldgrandprix.2015.fivb.com|access-date=2019-01-11}} the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix,{{Cite web|url=http://worldgrandprix.2017.fivb.com/en/group1/competition/teams/ita-italy/players/miryam-fatime-sylla?id=59386|title=Player - Miryam Fatime Sylla - FIVB World Grand Prix 2017|website=worldgrandprix.2017.fivb.com|access-date=2019-01-11}} and the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League.{{Cite web|url=http://www.volleyball.world/en/women/teams/ita-italy/players/miryam-fatime-sylla?id=64501|title=Player - Miryam Fatime Sylla - FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2018|website=www.volleyball.world|access-date=2019-01-11}} She was also part of the 2024 Italian Volleyball Olympic Team{{Cite web |title=Parigi 2024: la lista delle azzurre per le Olimpiadi {{!}} Federvolley |url=https://www.federvolley.it/node/128769 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=www.federvolley.it}} for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where Italy took home the gold medal.

Club and National Team career

Sylla has played for Progetto Volley Orago{{Cite web |title=Miriam Sylla » clubs |url=https://women.volleybox.net/miriam-sylla-p3757/clubs |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Women Volleybox |language=en}} (2010–2011), MC-Carnaghi Villa Cortese (2012–2013), Volley Bergamo (2013–2018), Imoco Volley (2018–2022), and Vero Volley Milano{{Cite web |title=Lega volley women |url=https://www.legavolleyfemminile.it/player/sylla-myriam/SYL-MIR-95/ }} (2022–present).

Sylla made her Serie A1 debut with MC-Carnaghi Villa Cortese, before signing with Volley Bergamo in 2013.{{Cite web |title=Myriam Sylla {{!}} EuroVolley |url=https://eurovolley.cev.eu/en/2023/women/ambassadors/myriam-sylla/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240807024930/https://eurovolley.cev.eu/en/2023/women/ambassadors/myriam-sylla/ |archive-date=2024-08-07 |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=eurovolley.cev.eu |language=en-US}} She has also been a part of the Italian Women's National Volleyball Team since 2015.

Personal life

Sylla's parents migrated to Italy in the early 1990's, and she was born in Palermo, Italy, on January 8th, 1995 to Ivorian parents Abdoulaye and Salimata Sylla.{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2019-01-04 |title=Miriam Sylla's Mother Passes Away Before 2019 |url=https://www.volleywood.net/volleyball-related-news/volleyball-news-europe/italy-volleyball-news-europe/miriam-sylla-shares-emotional-message-for-her-mom/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=www.volleywood.net |language=en-US}} However, due to economic struggles, they soon moved to Valgreghentino, in the province of Lecco.{{Cite web |title=Volleyball ace Myriam Sylla: "I try to focus on the positives" |url=https://www.olympics.com/en/news/volleyball-italy-myriam-sylla-paola-egonu-tokyo |access-date=8 January 2025 |website=Olympics}}

= Start in Volleyball =

Now living in Lecco, at 12 years old, Sylla accompanied her cousin to a volleyball tryout for fun, but was selected to be on the team immediately.{{Cite web |last=Chiara |first=Federico |date=2025-01-08 |title=«La medaglia olimpica l'avevo promessa a mia madre»: Myriam Sylla si racconta a Vogue |url=https://www.vogue.it/article/myriam-sylla-intervista-pallavolista-foto |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=Vogue Italia |language=it-IT}} Although born in Italy, Sylla didn't have an Italian passport. This meant she could not compete for the Italian youth or senior national team. However, this changed when Sylla was 16 years old. Sylla and her entire family acquired Italian passports, opening the door for Myriam to play with the Italian Youth National Volleyball Team.

= Other ventures =

In 2019, Sylla published her first book, Tutta la Forza Che ho (English: With all the Strength I Have) which details the difficulties Myriam has faced to get to where she is today. Additionally, in April of 2024, she released the first two volumes of the Dream Volley series, with co-author Annalisa Strada. There are a total of five volumes released thus far; Forza, Vola... Vai! (Vol. 1, 9 April 2024), Una Squadra da Salvare (Vol. 2, 9 April 2024), In Transferta! (Vol. 3, 1 October 2024), La Grande Occasione (Vol. 4, 5 November 2024), and Il Nuovo Allenatore (Vol. 5, 5 February 2025).{{Cite web |last=Grossi |first=Paolo Luigi |date=2024-06-26 |title=Forza, vola... vai! Dream volley. Vol. 1 |url=https://www.newitalianbooks.it/forza-vola-vai-dream-volley-vol-1/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |website=New Italian Books |language=en-GB}}