| Larissa França | |||||
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 França at the Grand Slam Moscow on September 3, 2012 | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Nickname | Larissa | ||||
| Born | (1982-04-14)April 14, 1982 (age 43) Cachoeiro do Itapemirim,ES, Brazil | ||||
| Hometown | Fortaleza, Brazil | ||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) | ||||
| Beach volleyball information | |||||
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Honours | |||||
Larissa França Maestrini[1] (born April 14, 1982) is a Brazilianbeach volleyball player. She is the all-time leader of beach volleyball titles, with 57 FIVB career gold medals, including the2011 Beach Volleyball World Championships withJuliana Felisberta and the 2015FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour withTalita Antunes.[2]
She was inducted to theVolleyball Hall of Fame in 2023.[3]
With Felisberta, França won twoPan American Games titles (in 2007 and 2011)[4] and the bronze medal at the2012 Summer Olympics.[5] Four years prior, França had had to play the2008 Summer Olympics withAna Paula Connelly following an injury to Felisberta, finishing in fifth place. She also won the bronze medal at the2003 Pan American Games inSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic, partneringAna Richa.
After a brief two year retirement following the 2012 Olympics, França went back to activity in 2014 in a double withTalita Antunes. The duo went on to win the gold medal at the 2015 Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals and earn a spot into the2016 Summer Olympics.[6]
The pair participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. The pair won their quarterfinal match against the Swiss team ofJoana Heidrich andNadine Zumkehr in a nail biting match of three sets (21-23, 27–25, 15-13) in the quarter final played on August 14, 2016.[7] The pair lost in straight sets toLudwig andWalkenhosrt in the semifinal match. Next they went for bronze.[8] They lost to the American team ofApril Ross andKerri Walsh Jennings in 3 sets of (21–17, 17–21, 9–15); they finished 4th.[9]
França was born inCachoeiro de Itapemirim,Espírito Santo, and moved at a young age to the state ofPará. A sports enthusiast from her youth, she earned a volleyball scholarship in high school and went on to start her professional career atTuna Luso Brasileira. She moved to beach volleyball in 2001, following an event held by the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation inFortaleza.[10]
In August 2013, França married fellow female playerLiliane Maestrini,[11] about one month after they came out about their relationship.[12]
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