Get to know the Olympic revelation - Alessandro Michieletto
#TakingTheStage
From the MVP of the EuroVolleyU20 to sensational Olympic rookie - it's a story of 19-year old Alessandro Michieletto, who grabbed the spot in the Olympic roster of the Rio 2016 runners-up by storm. Only one year ago after securing silver medal with his team at the 2020 European Championships U20, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, and it's fair to say that it doesn't happen often that this honour is given to a player that doesn't belong to the newly crowned champions, but Michieletto knows perfectly how to amaze with his talent and skills. Now he is living his Olympic dream in Tokyo.
The Italian outside hitter, hand in hand with Volleyball superstar Osmany Juantorena, led the team to victory in five-set battle against Canada in the opening game of the Volleyball tournament in Tokyo 2020. But it was Michieletto to be the best scorer and the man of the match with an impressive 24 points to his name. In his Olympic debut he has shown some backbone, with no rookie jitters he proves that he is an extremely valuable member of the team, although he made his debut in the senior national team only a few weeks ago during the VNL, where Italy competed without their strongest roster. Performance of left-handed 207-cm-tall spiker in Rimini couldn't be unnoticed by coach Gianlorenzo Blengini, who being impressed by his potential decided to give him a spot in the line-up for Tokyo 2020.
"I couldn't sleep a wink, because emotions ran so high in such an important moment of my life. I haven't realised yet what the call to the Olympic team means to me; to say that I am proud and honoured is perhaps an understatement. We have an important goal ahead of us, we must and want to get as far as possible, because the Italian national team deserves all of this. I sincerely hope not to realise what I am experiencing until the end of the event, to continue playing comfortably, without pressure", he said Michieletto in a statement for Trentinto Itas shortly after getting the Olympic nomination.
Michieletto, who earlier this year with his club Trentino Itas won silver at the Champions League, has Volleyball in his DNA. His father was also a successful Volleyball player at elite club level in Italy, so Alessandro continues the family tradition. An ambitious 19-year-old is aware of what is at stake of the Olympic tournament and how demanding the event it is.
Alessandro Michieletto"All matches will be tough at the Olympic Games, but I can assure that we are ready to fight. This is just the beginning, we knew it would be a battle and there will be many more. We absolutely have to grow. I get along very well with my teammates, this makes me perform better. I tried to give my best to help the team. We were good at finding a way to change course to get out of a very complicated situation, this happens to big teams and we did it."
outside hitter of Italy
However, Italy is among the most decorated teams in the world, they have never won an Olympic gold. In Rio 2016, the Azzurri finished with silver medals after losing to Brazil. Coach Gianlorenzo Blengini in his statement for the Italian Federation praised his young player: "Alessandro was very good, he made giant steps, continuing to grow, although this summer he already started from an excellent base. I think the experience gained during the VNL was very important for his growth."
On Monday, Italy will face the two-time world champions - Poland. The game is scheduled at 7:20 (CEST).