Kristina Väljas May ( Väljas, born 2 June 1987) is a Canadian

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...

player. She qualified to compete (along with partner Jamie Broder) at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. They advanced to the round of 16 until they were eliminated, finishing in a tie for ninth place.

Life and career

Valjas was born on 2 June 1987 to parents who both played varsity volleyball in university. Growing up, she competed in mountain biking and cross-country skiing. She is the older sister of skier Len Väljas. Like her parents, she played university volleyball for the

Toronto Varsity Blues The Toronto Varsity Blues are the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 43 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and U Sports. The Varsity Blues trace their foundin ...

, before transitioning to beach volleyball, where in 2010 she became part of the national team. Valjas formed a double with Jamie Broder in 2011, and went on to win

NORCECA The North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) is the international governing body for the sports of volleyball in Northern America, Central America, and the Caribbean. NORCECA is the continental confederation that r ...

continental titles in 2013 and 2015. In April 2015, Valjas and Broder won an FIVB World Tour medal, becoming the first Canadian female athletes to do so. In October 2016, she married John May, and adopted his surname. They have three sons. In 2017, May started a new team with

Taylor Pischke Taylor Mackenzie Wilson ( Pischke; born April 18, 1993) is a Canadians, Canadian professional volleyball player. She has won seven Canadian national titles (four indoor volleyball and three beach volleyball), including the U Sports women's voll ...

References

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* * * * * * * 1987 births Living people Volleyball players from Toronto Canadian women's beach volleyball players Beach volleyball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic beach volleyball players for Canada University of Toronto alumni Toronto Varsity Blues volleyball players Canadian people of Estonian descent Havergal College alumni 21st-century Canadian sportswomen {{Canada-volleyball-bio-stub