Magalys Carvajal Rivera (born 18 December 1968), more commonly known as Magaly Carvajal, is a retired Cuban volleyball player and two-time Olympian. As a middle blocker, she led Cuba to gold medals in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

in Barcelona and

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta. Carvajal also helped Cuba win the silver medal in the 1986 FIVB World Championship in Czechoslovakia and the gold medal in the 1994 FIVB World Championship in Brazil. Additionally, she won gold medals in the

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, and 1995 FIVB World Cups in Japan. Carvajal was a starter at just 17 years of age with the Cuban team in the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

in Indianapolis, where she won a gold medal. She also participated in the

1991 Pan American Games The 1991 Pan American Games, officially known as the XI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Havana 1991 (), were held in Havana, Cuba from 2 to 18 August 1991. There were 4,519 athletes from 39 countries of the Pan American Sports Organi ...

in Havana and the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, winning a gold medal in each event. After winning her second Olympic gold medal in 1996, Carvajal announced her retirement from the Cuban team. Carvajal is widely regarded as one of the greatest middle blockers of all time, standing at 1.90 meters (6'3") tall. She was known for shutting down the greatest hitters in the world. Her vertical jump reach of 3.35 meters (11') was rivaled only by teammate Mireya Luis. Her stare was known to intimidate players at the net, and has been called by many of her peers "the look of death". Carvajal was also an effective hitter. In 2011, Carvajal was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Spanish national team

Carvajal became a naturalized citizen of Spain in 1998, and played on the Spanish women's national volleyball team from 2001 to 2002.

Club volleyball

Carvajal had a successful transition to the Spanish volleyball league, becoming a dominant player. In 2003–04, she led Spar Tenerife Marichal to the European Champions League title.

Personal life

In June 2020, Carvajal announced on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

that she became a United States citizen.

References

External links

International Volleyball Hall of Fame profile
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Volleybox.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carvajal, Magalys 1968 births Living people Cuban women's volleyball players Olympic volleyball players for Cuba Volleyball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Cuba Olympic medalists in volleyball Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Pan American Games gold medalists in volleyball Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century Cuban sportswomen