Thaísa Menezes Facts for Kids

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Daher and the second or paternal family name is de Menezes.

Quick facts for kids

Thaísa Menezes

Script error: The function "getImageLegend" does not exist.

Personal information

Full name

Thaísa Daher de Menezes

Born

15 May 1987 (age 37)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Height

1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)

Spike

318 cm (125 in)

Block

308 cm (121 in)

Volleyball information

Position

Middle blocker

Current club

Minas Tênis Clube

Number

National team

2005–2018, 2023-2024

Brazil

Honours

Women's volleyball

Representing Brazil
Olympic Games
Gold	2008 Beijing	Team
Gold	2012 London	Team
Bronze	2024 Paris	Team
World Championship
Silver	2010 Japan	Team
Bronze	2014 Italy	Team
World Cup
Silver	2007 Japan	Team
World Grand Champions Cup
Silver	2009 Japan	Team
Gold	2013 Japan	Team
World Grand Prix
Gold	2005 Sendai	Team
Gold	2006 Reggio Calabria	Team
Gold	2008 Yokohama	Team
Gold	2014 Tokyo	Team
Gold	2016 Bangkok	Team
Silver	2010 Ningbo	Team
Silver	2012 Ningbo	Team
Pan American Games
Gold	2011 Guadalajara	Team
Silver	2007 Rio de Janeiro	Team
Pan-American Cup
Gold	2009 Miami
Gold	2011 Ciudad Juárez
South American Championship
Gold	2007 Santiago
Gold	2009 Porto Alegre
Gold	2011 Callao
Gold	2013 Ica
Gold	2023 Recife

Thaísa Daher de Menezes (Portuguese pronunciation: [taˈizɐ daˈɛʁ dʒi meˈnezis]; born 15 May 1987) is a Brazilian professional volleyball player. She won back-to-back gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She has won numerous Best Spiker and Best Blocker Awards and is often singled out as one of the greatest Brazilian players of all time.

Biography
Career
Clubs
Awards
- Individual
- Clubs
See also

Biography

Thaísa was born in the Campo Grande district, located in the western part of Rio de Janeiro. Her father is a serviceman Domingos de Menezes and her mother Monica Daher is a descendant of immigrants from Lebanon. Until the age of 13, Thaísa was engaged in swimming, but then, following the example of her brother Tiago, she switched to volleyball.

A year later, she was accepted into the youth team of the Tizhuk club, where Julio Cugna, one of the best mentors for working with young athletes, became her coach. In 2002, Thaísa was invited to the Minas team (Belo Horizonte)- one of the strongest in Brazil, with which she won her first club level medal that same season, becoming the silver medalist of the Brazilian championship. In the same 2002 (at the age of 15), Thaísa made her debut in two teams of her country at once - youth and junior, becoming the champion of two championships of South America with them. A year later, the volleyball player became the world champion both among youth teams and among juniors.

Career

Menezes was part of the Brazilian team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Menezes won the silver medal with Sollys Osasco at the 2010 FIVB World Club Championship. She also earned the Best Spiker award.

At the 2011 Pan-American Cup, Menezes was given the Best Blocker award, and also won the gold medal with her national team.

Menezes was part of the national team who won the gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix, Menezes won the silver medal with her national team and the individual award of Best Blocker.

Menezes was part of the national team which won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games held in London, UK.

Playing with Sollys Nestlé Osasco, Menezes won the gold medal and the Best Spiker award in the 2012 FIVB Club World Championship held in Doha, Qatar.

Menezes claimed the silver medal in the 2014 FIVB Club World Championship, playing with Molico Osasco, when her team lost 0–3 to the Russian Dinamo Kazan the championship match. She was named among the championship Best Team as Best Middle Blocker.

Menezes played with her national team, winning the bronze at the 2014 World Championship when her team defeated Italy 3–2 in the bronze medal match.

Menezes retired from the national team in 2018. In 2023, she announced her return to the team and played in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League as well as the Olympic qualifying tournament. She was part of Brazil's roster in the 2024 Paris Olympics. After winning bronze in the 2024 Olympics, she announced her retirement once again.