Regla Torres

{{Infobox volleyball biography

| name = Regla Torres

| image = Regla torres.JPG

| caption = Torres Herrera in 2009

| fullname = Regla Radameris Torres Herrera

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|02|12|df=y}}

| birth_place = Havana, Cuba

| death_date =

| death_place =

| hometown = Havana, Cuba

| height = 1.91 m

| weight = 75 kg

| spike = 331 cm

| block = 315 cm

| position = Front blocker

| teamnumber = 10

| years =

| clubs = Ciudad Habana

| nationalyears = 1991–2002

| nationalteam = {{vbw|Cuba}}

| medaltemplates-expand = yes

| medaltemplates-title = Medal record

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{CUB}} }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

}}

Regla Torres Herrera (born 12 February 1975) is a Cuban former volleyball player who won three Olympic gold medals with the Cuban women's national volleyball team. Torres began playing on the international circuit at the age of 14. As a middle blocker, she was a key player in the dominance of the Cuban national team of the 1990s.

In 2001, Torres was the recipient of the "Best Player of the 20th Century" award by the FIVB{{cite web|url=http://www.fivb.org/EN/FIVB/BestOfTheCentury/VB_Women_Players.htm|title=Best Volleyball Player Of The 20th Century - Female

|website=FIVB |access-date=March 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011221011737/http://www.fivb.org/EN/FIVB/BestOfTheCentury/VB_Women_Players.htm |archive-date=December 21, 2001 |url-status=dead }} and was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.{{cite web|url=http://www.volleyhall.org/torres.html|title=Regla Torres Herrera|website=International Volleyball Hall of Fame|access-date=March 11, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822013852/http://www.volleyhall.org/torres.html|archive-date=August 22, 2010}}

Early life

Torres was born in Havana, Cuba on 12 February 1975. Since she was a young girl, Torres was encouraged by teachers to play sports due to her height. Though her parents separated while she was in primary school, both were involved in her upbringing. While Torres was more interested in the high jump than volleyball, her mother insisted that she focus on the latter. In the fourth grade, Torres was sent to a sports school to develop her athletic talent. At the age of 14, she was sent to the Cerro Pelado school, where she quickly developed her volleyball skills. She then joined the national team in 1989.

Career

=Olympic Games=

Torres won her first Olympic gold medal in 1992 in Barcelona at the age of 17.{{Cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/the-spectacular-caribbean-girls-cubas-three-volleyball-golds-in-a-row |website=Olympics.com |title='The Spectacular Caribbean Girls': Cuba's three volleyball golds in a row |date=19 January 2021 |access-date=August 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819053038/https://olympics.com/en/news/the-spectacular-caribbean-girls-cubas-three-volleyball-golds-in-a-row |archive-date=August 19, 2023 |url-status=live }} She helped her team to additional gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney,{{Cite newspaper |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/01/sports/sydney-2000-volleyball-cuba-cruises-to-third-straight-gold.html |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Sydney 2000: Volleyball; Cuba Cruises to Third Straight Gold |last=Roberts |first=Selena |date=1 October 2000 |at=sec. 8 p. 13 |access-date=6 September 2024 }} {{subscription required}} achieving the extraordinary feat of winning three Olympics in a row. She was selected as the best spiker at the Sydney Olympics.

=Pan American Games=

Torres helped the Cuban team to the gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, at the age of 16. She won another gold medal with the national team at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.{{Cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/52200 |website=Olympedia |title=Regla Torres |access-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516125515/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/52200 |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |url-status=live }}

=World Cups and World Championships=

Torres helped Cuba win gold medals at the 1991 and 1995 FIVB World Cup in Japan. She also helped Cuba win the 1994 FIVB World Championship in Brazil and the 1998 FIVB World Championship in Japan, and was selected as the MVP in both tournaments.{{Cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/volleyball-most-asked-questions-womens-volleyball |website=Olympics.com |title=Volleyball: The most asked questions about women's indoor volleyball |last=Gunston |first=Jo |date=September 22, 2022 |access-date=August 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103104802/https://olympics.com/en/news/volleyball-most-asked-questions-womens-volleyball |archive-date=November 3, 2022 |url-status=live }}

=World Grands Prix=

Torres won additional gold medals with the Cuban team at the 1993 and 2000 FIVB World Grand Prix in Japan.{{Cite news |url=https://oncubanews.com/deportes/la-armadura-de-regla-torres-morenas-del-caribe/ |work=Oncubanews.com |language=es |title=La armadura de Regla Torres |date=27 November 2023 |last=Coll Untoria |first=Jorge Luis |access-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127164824/https://oncubanews.com/deportes/la-armadura-de-regla-torres-morenas-del-caribe/ |archive-date=27 November 2023 |url-status=live }}

Awards

Three-time Olympic gold medal — 1992, 1996, 2000
Two-time FIVB World Cup gold medal — 1991, 1995
Two-time Pan American Games gold medal — 1991, 1995
Two-time FIVB World Grand Prix gold medal — 1993, 2000
Two-time FIVB World Championship gold medal — 1994, 1998
Two-time FIVB World Championship MVP — 1994, 1998
Olympic best spiker, MVP — Sydney 2000
FIVB Best Player of the 20th Century — 2001
International Volleyball Hall of Fame — 2001

References

External links

[https://www.volleyhall.org/regla-torres.html Regla Torres] at the International Volleyball Hall of Fame
[http://www.fivb.org/EN/Volleyball/Competitions/WorldChampionships/Women/2002/Teams/VB_Player.asp?No=10034 Regla Torres] at FIVB.org World Championships Women 2002
[https://volleybox.net/regla-torres-p3167 Regla Torres] at Volleybox.net
{{Olympics.com}}
{{Olympedia}}

{{succession box

|before = First Award

|after = {{flagicon|CUB}} Lilia Izquierdo

|title = Best Server of
FIVB World Grand Prix

|years = 1993

}}

Category:1975 births

Category:Cuban women's volleyball players

Category:Volleyball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics

Category:Volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Category:Volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic volleyball players for Cuba