| Melissa Humaña-Paredes | |||||
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 Humaña-Paredes at 2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Melissa Humaña-Paredes | ||||
| Born | (1992-10-10)October 10, 1992 (age 33). Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||||
| Hometown | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||
| College / University | York University | ||||
| Beach volleyball information | |||||
| Current teammate | |||||
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| Previous teammates | |||||
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Melissa Humaña-Paredes (born October 10, 1992) is a Canadianbeach volleyball player currently partnered withBrandie Wilkerson.[1][2] The pair representedCanada at the2024 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal.[3]
Humaña-Paredes previously competed withSarah Pavan, notably winning a gold medal at the2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships and twoCommonwealth Games titles and competing at the2020 Summer Olympics.[4]
Born inToronto, Ontario, Humana-Paredes is the younger daughter of twoChilean politicalrefugees,[5] ballet dancer Myriam Paredes and volleyball player Hernán Humaña, who was part of thenational team and later coached CanadiansJohn Child andMark Heese to the bronze medal at the1996 Olympics.[5] Humana-Paredes started playing beach volleyball at the age of 12, and four years later, was already representing Canada internationally. She also played competitive indoor volleyball for Storm Volleyball. She then attendedYork University, majoring incommunications while playingCIS volleyball for theYork Lions for four seasons from 2010 to 2014.[6][7][8]
In 2011, she won a silver medal at theFIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships withVictoria Altomare.[9] Years later, as Hernan talked with volleyball coach Garth Pischke, he learned his daughter Taylor wanted to join the beach volleyball scene and suggested that the two daughters be joined as a team. Both were trained by John Child.[10] The new pair led Humana-Paredes to win the bronze medal at theWorld Under-23 Championships and be named the top female rookie in 2015 by theInternational Federation of Volleyball.
Humana-Paredes competed at several Grand Slam and World Cup events, reaching the round of 16 at the2015 Beach Volleyball World Championships[10] and the semi-finals at the2015 Pan American Games.[11] From August 23–28, 2016, she competed with Pischke at theLong Beach, California, Grand Slam.[12] Playing in Pool-A, they lost toMaria Antonelli and Lili of Brazil (21–11, 23–21), andApril Ross andKerri Walsh Jennings of the United States (21–16, 21–17) in straight sets. Playing against Carol and Ana Patrícia of Brazil, they won in straight sets (21–19, 26–24), placing them in 3rd in Pool-A.
After forming her partnership withSarah Pavan, the two were named to theCanadian team for the2018 Commonwealth Games, the first edition of the championships to feature abeach volleyball tournament. Humana-Paredes/Pavan reached the gold medal match, where they defeated AustraliansClancy/Artacho del Solar for the title.[13]
Humana-Paredes and Pavan won the gold medal at the2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships, defeating the American team ofApril Ross andAlix Klineman in straight-sets 2-0 (23-21, 23-21) for Canada's first medal ever at the event. This victory automatically qualified the Canadian pair for the2020 Summer Olympics inTokyo.[4] They achieved further success on the FIVB tour that summer with additional tournament wins at the Edmonton Open in late July,[14] and at the Vienna Major in early August.[15] These FIVB tour wins were followed by success on the AVP tour, with additional championship wins over Ross and Klineman at both theManhattan Beach Open in mid-August[16] and the Hawaii Open in late September.[17]
Humana-Paredes and Pavan were named to theCanadian Olympic team for the2020 Summer Olympics, which theCOVID-19 pandemic caused to be delayed until 2021. The two went undefeated during pool play, winning every set. Entering the knockout rounds as the top seed, they defeated SpaniardsLiliana/Baquerizo in the Round of 16.[18] In the quarterfinal, a rematch of the Commonwealth Games final with Australians Clancy/Artacho del Solar, they lost two sets to one and were eliminated from the tournament.[19]
In what would prove to be their final competition together, Humana-Paredes/Pavan were for a second time part ofCanada's Commonwealth Games team, this time for the2022 edition inBirmingham. They reached thetournament final for a second consecutive time, once again competing against Clancy/Artacho del Solar. In a three-set match, they defeated the Australians to successfully defend their title.[20] At the end of the same month, they announced the end of their partnership, saying they had "decided it is time to explore new options in our athletic careers separately."[21]
On November 1, 2022, Humana-Paredes announced that she had formed a new partnership withBrandie Wilkerson, a former teammate during her time playing indoor volleyball at York University. She explained: "I think since our university days we both envisioned playing together at some point in our careers - we just weren't sure when that would happen. This time just seems right in both our personal and athletic lives."[22] The new team enjoyed success, appearing in ten tournaments in 2023 with no placement lower than fifth.[23] At the2023 Beach Volleyball World Championships in early October, the duo won five consecutive matches without conceding a set, but were eliminated in the quarter-final by Clancy/Artacho del Solar.[24] They then joinedCanada's Pan American Games delegation for the2023 edition inSantiago. Despite its proximity to the world championship, Humana-Paredes cited her Chilean heritage as a reason to attend, never having competed in Chile previously. They served as Canada's co-flagbearers in the opening ceremony, and reached thetournament final, losing to Brazil'sRamos/Lisboa.[25]
In June 2024, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson were officially named to theCanadian team for the2024 Summer Olympics inParis. Of this she said: "When we got together, our goals were clear: making history in Paris."[26] TheOlympic tournament began poorly for the team, who lost their first two games in pool play, and reached the knockout stage only via winning a lucky loser playoff against CzechsHermannová/Štochlová.[27] Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson then managed an upset victory overNuss/Kloth of the United States in the round of 16, winning two sets to zero,[28][29] before managing the same against SpaniardsÁlvarez Mendoza/Moreno in the quarter-final. They became the first Canadian team to reach the semi-finals of an Olympic women's volleyball tournament.[30] Facing the Swiss teamHüberli/Betschart, who had to that point not lost a single set in the tournament, Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson were on the verge of elimination at the end of the second set, but successfully forced a tiebreaker round and won, qualifying for the championship match against Ramos/Lisboa.[31] The championship match went to three sets, a first in Olympic women's beach volleyball, before the Brazilians prevailed. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson took the silver medal.[32] Humana-Parades' father Hernán said that he felt their victory would have an "even bigger" impact on the sport in Canada than the bronze medal team he had coached in1996.[33]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Women's FIVB Beach World Tour Winner alongside  Sarah Pavan2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions alongside Sarah Pavan2019 | Succeeded by |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Defensive Player" 2019 | Succeeded by Discontinued |
| Preceded by | Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Setter" 2019 | Succeeded by Discontinued |
| Preceded by | Women's AVP Tour "Best Defensive Player" 2019 | Succeeded by Discontinued |
| Preceded by Maria Clara Salgado | Women's AVP Tour "Newcomer of the Year" 2019 | Succeeded by Discontinued |
| Preceded by | Women's FIVB World Tour "Most Improved Player" 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Women's FIVB World Tour "Top Rookie" 2014 | Succeeded by |
Commonwealth champions in women'sbeach volleyball | |
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