Italy seal back-to-back titles in japan

 

Italy were once again the queens of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup as they successfully defended their crown in Japan. They were joined by FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix winners USA who finished second and China in third. All three join Great Britain at the Olympic Games next year.

The tournament was once again a huge success with some stand out performances from all teams involved. It was a tense affair right until the last few matches, with hosts Japan as well as Brazil and Germany all still fighting for one of those precious top three berths. However, in the end all three fell short as Italy tore up the script to deliver a memorable campaign.

Medals

Year	Place	1st	2nd	3rd
2011	Tokyo (Japan)	Italy	USA	China
2007	Nagoya (Japan)	Italy	Brazil	USA
2003	Osaka (Japan)	China	Brazil	USA
1999	Osaka (Japan)	Cuba	Russia	Brazil
1995	Osaka (Japan)	Cuba	Brazil	China
1991	Osaka (Japan)	Cuba	China	U.S.S.R.
1989	Nagoya (Japan)	Cuba	U.S.S.R.	China
1985	Tokyo (Japan)	China	Cuba	U.S.S.R.
1981	Osaka (Japan)	China	Japan	U.S.S.R.
1977	Tokyo (Japan)	Japan	Cuba	Korea
1973	Montevideo (Uruguay)	U.S.S.R.	Japan	Korea