Luisa Estela Fuentes Quijandría (19 August 1948 – 28 May 2025), more commonly known as Lucha Fuentes, was a Peruvian volleyball player who played with the
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
in the
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
and
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...
.
As the captain of the Peruvian team, she was nicknamed "La Gran Capitana" ("The Grand Captain").
Biography
Luisa Fuentes was born on 19 August 1948 in
Ica. Her father, Félix Fuentes, was a soccer player for iqueña Estela Quijandría.
When she was 14 years old, she was discovered by Akira Kato, and began playing in
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
for the club Divino Maestro.
Fuentes won the silver medal in the
1967 Pan American Games
The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967.
Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...
and won the gold medal in the 1967 South American Championship, and finished fourth in the
1967 FIVB World Championship in Tokyo. She was fourth in the
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...
in Mexico City.
and a silver medalist in the 1969 South American Championship. She ranked fourteenth in the
1970 FIVB World Championship in Bulgaria.
Fuentes won the silver medal in the
1971 Pan American Games
The 1971 Pan American Games, officially known as the VI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Cali 1971, were held in Cali, Colombia, from 30 July to 13 August 1971. (One source dates the Games from July 25 to August 8.) A total of 2,935 ...
and gold in the 1971 South American Championship. She won gold in the 1973 South American Championship, and finished eighth in the
1974 FIVB World Championship in Mexico. She won the
1975 Pan American Games
The 1975 Pan American Games, officially known as the VII Pan American Games () and commonly known as Mexico 1975 (), were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games ...
silver medal and gold in the 1975 South American Championship. She was seventh in the
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...
in Montreal, and won gold in the 1977 South American Championship.
In the
1978 FIVB World Championship in the Soviet Union, Fuentes finished in tenth place. She won the silver medal in the
1979 Pan American Games
The 1979 Pan American Games, officially the VIII Pan American Games () and commonly known as San Juan 1979, were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization (PASO), and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to Jul ...
, and finished her career with the gold medal in the 1979 South American Championship in
Santa Fe.
Fuentes died in Lima on 28 May 2025, at the age of 76.
Murió Lucha Fuentes, leyenda del vóley peruano, a los 76 años: el adiós a la ‘Cañonera de Oro’
Awards
In 2000, Fuentes was nominated by the International Volleyball Federation
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
as the Best Player of the 20th century. Fuentes received the Laureles Deportivos ("Sports Laureate") award and was selected numerous times as Sportsperson of the Year.
Teaching
Fuentes fought to popularize volleyball in Peru. She went on to become a teacher at the Sports Academy School of the Telefónica Foundation, where 300 girls and boys between 9 and 14 attended, but the school closed in 2015.
References
External links
Olympedia profile: Luisa Fuentes
Volleybox.net profile
(archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuentes, Luisa
1948 births
2025 deaths
Volleyball players at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Volleyball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Peruvian women's volleyball players
Olympic volleyball players for Peru
Pan American Games silver medalists for Peru
Pan American Games volleyball players for Peru
Pan American Games silver medalists in volleyball
Volleyball players at the 1967 Pan American Games
Volleyball players at the 1971 Pan American Games
Volleyball players at the 1979 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1967 Pan American Games
Volleyball players at the 1975 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games
20th-century Peruvian sportswomen
Sportspeople from Ica, Peru