The Next Big Thing in Volleyball: Gaia Guiducci
Feature
Born on March 9, the Italian Gaia Guiducci will celebrate her 20th birthday this coming week. Before reaching this age, the young setter has achieved some goals many athletes dream of all their lives - in the summer of 2021, she became world champion U20, and was named MVP of the tournament, taking as well the recognition for best player in her position. Italy’s captain, Gaia is now playing in the Italian league, gaining experience at Bartoccini Fortinfissi Perugia. Looking forward to reaching new heights in her career and remaining humble at the same time, Guiducci might very well be The Next Big Thing in Volleyball. Get to know her now.
The Beginning
Gaia’s mother used to train Beach Volleyball, so the young girl got to know the sport thanks to this.
“I have always played sports as a child, I have tried so many. When I started with Volleyball, I immediately felt part of this world and I decided that I wanted to have the emotions that I felt when I made my first steps on the pitch. I wanted to have these feelings in my life, because I clearly remember the happiness my 11-year-old me felt by that time.”
Going Pro
Gaia took her time before deciding that Volleyball could become her career path.
“Оnce I realized that I was fully committed to Volleyball, and the sacrifices I was doing were giving results, this is when I saw that there is such a possibility and Volleyball could actually become my life, and that this is actually what I want to do.”
On Being a Setter
She didn’t choose the role of a setter, rather, as she says, the role chose her.
Gaia Guiducci“I believe I was born a spiker, and deep down, this is a role that I really like so much.For physical reasons, I had to change to a setter. At first, it was not easy to accept it and understand how different this role is, but then I learned to appreciate it and I like it very much.”
Тhe National Team
With the U20 national team, Gaia and her teammates were crowned champions of the world in the summer of 2021. Guiducci took the Best Setter award as well, and was named MVP of the tournament.
“For me, the most important award was being able to win the World Championship with this group of truly unique people. We achieved the goal thanks to our dedication, to our hard work - we were a group that has never been noticed that much and that has finally obtained the recognition it deserved. Obviously, the individual rewards are always highly appreciated and make it clear that the path you are taking, is in the right direction.”
The Italian League A1
From this season, Guiducci is part of the Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia team, gaining experience in one of the strongest leagues in the world.
“I really like the team. I think there are great opportunities to grow, despite the fact that this season we have not expressed our true value. At the moment, I have a physical problem, and I am not training, but I plan to return to the field soon to help my teammates”.
The Dream
While Gaia says she doesn’t have a Volleyball idol and prefers to think that she can learn something from each of the big names in the setter position, she puts her focus on staying down-to-earth.
Gaia Guiducci“I don't say where I could go because I don't know. I work a lot every day in any aspect, because, like every sportsman, my goal and therefore my dream is to get to levels as high as possible and to achieve more and more results by continuing to experience these strong emotions that make me understand how attached I am to this sport.”