Thaisa Menezes
Thaisa Menezes is a professional volleyball player from Brazil. She achieved consecutive gold medals at the Summer Olympics in 2008 and 2012. Throughout her career, she has received multiple Best Spiker and Best Blocker Awards, and she is frequently recognized as one of the greatest Brazilian players in history.
Thaisa Daher de Menezes was born in the Campo Grande neighborhood, situated in the western region of Rio de Janeiro. Her father, Domingos de Menezes, is a former serviceman, while her mother, Monica Daher, has Lebanese immigrant ancestry. Until the age of 13, Thaísa participated in swimming, but later, inspired by her brother Tiago, she transitioned to volleyball.
A year later, she joined the youth team of the Tizhuk club, where she was coached by Julio Cugna, a highly regarded mentor for young athletes. In 2002, Menezes received an invitation to join the Minas team in Belo Horizonte, one of Brazil’s top teams, with which she secured her first club-level medal that same season, earning a silver medal in the Brazilian championship. In the same year (at the age of 15), Menezes made her debut with both the youth and junior national teams, winning championships in South America with both. The following year, the volleyball player became a world champion in both youth and junior categories.
Thaisa Menezes was a member of the Brazilian team that secured the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
She achieved a silver medal alongside Sollys Osasco at the 2010 FIVB World Club Championship, where she also received the Best Spiker award.
During the 2011 Pan-American Cup, Thaisa Menezes was honored with the Best Blocker award, and she also contributed to her national team’s victory in securing a gold medal. She was part of the national team that won a gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games, which took place in Guadalajara, Mexico.
In the 2012 FIVB World Grand Prix, Thaisa Menezes earned a silver medal with her national team, along with the individual accolade of Best Blocker.
She was a key player on the national team that won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games held in London, UK.
While playing for Sollys Nestle Osasco, Thaisa Menezes won a gold medal and the Best Spiker award during the 2012 FIVB Club World Championship in Doha, Qatar.
She secured a silver medal in the 2014 FIVB Club World Championship while competing with Molico Osasco, where her team was defeated 0–3 by the Russian Dinamo Kazan in the championship match. She was recognized as the Best Middle Blocker at the championship, contributing to her team’s overall success.
Thaisa Menezes represented her national team, securing a bronze medal at the 2014 World Championship after her team triumphed over Italy with a score of 3–2 in the bronze medal match.
Thaisa Menezes stepped away from the national team in 2018. However, in 2023, she declared her return to the squad and participated in the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League as well as the Olympic qualifying tournament. She was included in Brazil’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Following her team’s bronze medal victory in the 2024 Olympics, she announced her retirement once more.
Thaisa Menezes photos
