Adriana Behar

Behar began her sports career as a figure skater at the age of 10 at Flamengo. At the age of 16, she migrated to indoor volleyball, where she played professionally in Italy for three seasons. In 1992, back in Brazil, Adriana decided to dedicate herself to beach volleyball, starting a new phase in her sports career. In 1995, after the suggestion of coach Letícia Pessoa, Adriana formed a duo with Shelda Bedê. This partnership would last 12 seasons and would become one of the most successful in the history of beach volleyball. Together, they won more than a thousand victories and 114 titles. Adriana and Shelda won world championships in 1999 and 2001 and maintained their lead in the world rankings in 2000, 2001 and 2004. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the pair reached the final after winning four matches, winning the silver medal. They repeated the feat at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, where they again took silver, becoming the first female pair to win more than one Olympic medal. ==Recognition==

Throughout her career, Adriana was honored several times on the Brazilian Circuit, being recognized as best blocker (1998–2000) and best striker (1999) She was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2010. She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2017. She is first woman to assume the position of CEO of the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation in 2021. == Post-retirement ==

After her retirement in 2008, Adriana Behar specialized in Business Management and took on administrative positions. She engaged in the Banco do Brasil Sports Ambassadors project, participating in lectures, fairs and social actions. In 2012, she became Brazil's sole representative on the Women's Commission of the International Olympic Committee and is currently president of the Women in Sport Commission of the Brazilian Olympic Committee. In 2017, she was listed among the BBC's 100 Women. ==See also==