Regla Torres

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. She helped her team to additional gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, achieving the extraordinary feat of winning three Olympics in a row. World Cups and World Championships Torres helped Cuba win gold medals at the 1991 and 1995 FIVB World Cup in Japan. World Grands Prix Torres won additional gold medals with the Cuban team at the 1993 and 2000 FIVB World Grand Prix in Japan. ==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==