VNL 2024 - News

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Ze Roberto led Brazil to silver medals at both the World Championships and the VNL in 2022

Longtime Brazil women’s national team head coach Jose ‘Ze Roberto’ Guimaraes added another accolade to his extensive list of awards when the 68-year-old trainer was picked as the 2022 Coach of the Year by the country’s Olympic Committee.

The award is split into two categories and Ze Roberto was the winner among the team sports candidates for his work with the Brazilian team. In 2022, his revamped team won silver medals at both the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship and the Volleyball Nations League.

“This is the result of teamwork,” Ze Roberto said. “I have to thank the players, the coaching staff, the Brazilian Federation and the Brazilian Olympic Committee. We had a lot of work to do in 2022 and we made it to the gold medal match at the most important tournaments. It was great to see that, even with several new players, we were able to remain among the top teams in the world. The 2023 season has already started, we have a lot of challenges ahead of us and will prepare in the best possible way to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.”

It was the fifth time Ze Roberto earned the Coach of the Year award since it was first started, in 2001 – he was selected in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2022. He is only the second coach to win the award on five occasions, joining fellow volleyball trainer Bernardo ‘Bernardinho’ Rezende, who led the Brazilian men’s national team from 2001 to 2016 and was recognized in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2010.

A three-time Olympic champion, Ze Roberto has led the Brazilian national team since 2004. With him at the helm, the South Americans have won three Olympic medals (gold in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and silver in Tokyo 2020), four at the World Championship (three silvers, one bronze) and three silvers at the VNL, among several other podium finishes.

He will be handed the award during the Brazilian Olympic Committee’s ‘Premio Brasil Olimpico’ event, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro on February 2. Brazil volleyball national team captain Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimaraes and beach volleyball world champions Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patricia Ramos will also be honoured as the top Brazilian athletes in their sports in 2022.