FIVB Special Report: Players that are missing out on the action
When you follow up the Women’s National team from Brazil, you can never forget the name of player who was known that she floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, the one who got the title of baby boomer in 2006 and various other attributes are associated
to her. The lady is named Paula Pequeno; she played in the wing-spiker position and always played an instrumental role in team’s success.
Paula got injured in the final round of FIVB World Grand Prix in Ningbo, China two months back and regretted her absence from the team. The Brazilian squad seriously missed her and team had to be contended with silver pick-up in the tournament. The U.S.
team settled for the final victory FIVB World Championship.
Last month, Paula underlined her intent to be a part of the team again at the next big event, the FIVB World Championship in Tokyo, Japan. She said,
“We're very close to the World Championship. I will devote myself to get back soon. I have a good record of recovery. I hope I can return ahead of schedule and get into a position to play at the championships."
However, the injury has prolonged and Paula has not fully recovered yet. She has been dropped out of the Jose Roberto Guimaraes’s squad, which is supposed to represent at the 2010 FIVB Women’s World Championship. The competition is scheduled to start from
October 29 to November 14.
Paula has acknowledged the coach’s decision and disclosed her thoughts, "We have managed to overcome many situations, but there comes a time when we have to respect the body's limits. I struggled and did everything to try to recover in time to play the
World Cup but did not. It's painful not being able to participate but I respect the decision and will cheer on the team too. The girls have the ability to fight for this title."
Moreover, Paula’s physician Dr Ze Roberto also confirmed her un-availability for the upcoming event. He said, "We had a long conversation yesterday and I decided to preserve the physical integrity of Paula, who is just returning from injury. This moment
is very sad. We've lost a great player for a major tournament. We have a history together and not taking Paula to the World Championship was a very complicated decision. I appreciate all her effort, dedication, solidarity."
In this episode of World Championship, Brazil will be accompanied by Kenya, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico and Czech Republic in Pool B.
Brazil will be playing in the important FIVB Women’s World Championship without Paula Pequeno. Despite any regrets, the injured wing spiker has best wishes for her team-mates. Nonetheless, Brazil has a big task to prove their steel in front of world’s best
teams and reigning champions USA.
Brazil lost the final of FIVB World Championship to Russia in 2006 but this time around, they are determined to finish in the top spot. The ambitions are high at this time but time will tell if they are able to make it or not.
Brazil is also missing out another key player, Mari, who also got injured and underwent a knee surgery in September. Brazil is also scheduled to pay a visit to Asia after World Championship but Paula won’t be able to join that campaign either. Mari and Paula
are two experience players of Brazilian side and their absence makes it quite hard for Brazil to face some of the resilient competitors.
The absence of Paula has created an opportunity for Natalia to show her talent as she would be playing in her place. The 21-year old Natalia joined the team at World Grand Prix but she remained in reserve.
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