Regla Torres Herrera (born 12 February 1975), more commonly known as Regla Torres, is a Cuban former volleyball player who won three Olympic gold medals with the Cuban women's national volleyball team. Torres began playing on the international circuit at the age of 14.[1] As a middle blocker, she was a key player in the dominance of the Cuban national team of the 1990s.[1][2]
Torres was born in Havana, Cuba on 12 February 1975.[4] Since she was a young girl, Torres was encouraged by teachers to play sports due to her height.[2] Though her parents separated while she was in primary school, both were involved in her upbringing.[2] While Torres was more interested in the high jump than volleyball, her mother insisted that she focus on the latter.[2] In the fourth grade, Torres was sent to a sports school to develop her athletic talent.[2] At the age of 14, she was sent to the Cerro Pelado school, where she quickly developed her volleyball skills.[2] She then joined the national team in 1989.[2]
Career
Olympic Games
Torres won her first Olympic gold medal in 1992 in Barcelona at the age of 17.[1][5] She helped her team to additional gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney,[6] achieving the extraordinary feat of winning three Olympics in a row.[1][5] She was selected as the best spiker at the Sydney Olympics.[3]
Pan American Games
Torres helped the Cuban team to the gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, at the age of 16.[4] She won another gold medal with the national team at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.[4]
^ abcdefghColl Untoria, Jorge Luis (27 November 2023). "La armadura de Regla Torres". Oncubanews.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
