The Russian National Team played as the USSR from
1949-1991, before becoming the CIS Team in 1991-1993.
It played its first official match in Prague at the
European Championships on September 11, 1949 against Poland and won 3-0 (15-13,
15-4, 15-3).
Over the years, the team has won Olympic gold four times,
the World Championship six times, the World Cup once, the Grand Prix three
times, and the World Champion Cup and European Championship 17 times. No other
team has had such impressive results.
Star players who have graced the team’s roster include
Alexandra Chudina, Militia Eremeeva, Liudmila Buldacova, Inna Ryskal, Rosa
Salikhova, Nina Smoleeva, Valentina Ogienko and many others.
Of course, in addition to the incredible gold-medal haul,
Russia has also brought home many silver and bronze medals.
The team finished second at the 2004 Olympics, which
turned out to be a milestone event for the team, as many changes to the lineup
soon followed. Veterans Evgenia Artamonova, Elizaveta Tischenko and Elena
Tiurina all left the squad. But owing to a strong pool of talent and excellent
managerial organization, the new team won bronze at the European Championship
following the Athen’s Olympics.
2006 was one of the most successful for Russia in recent
years. The team won silver at the World Grand Prix before going on to win the
World Championship in Japan.
The team at that time consisted of a great mix of
experienced and young players. Veteran spikers included Gamova, Sokolova and
Godina, while young setters included Akulova Marina and Sheshenina Marina. The
team also boasted the tallest middle blocker in the world: Merkulova Yulia.
The year 2007 wasn’t as successful for Russia as the team
succumbed to the injury bug. As a result, Russia finished in fourth place at
the FIV World Grand Prix and third at the European Championship.
In 2008, the team started its season with victory at the
European Olympic qualification tournament in Halle, Germany, but faltered at
the Beijing Olympics, finishing tied for 5th.
Owing to the poor showing at the last Olympics, a number
of changes have been made to the team to accommodate younger players. Many of
the team’s leaders have either taken a break from the national team or finished
playing altogether.
In addition, the skillful tactician Vladimir Kuzyutkin has
been appointed new coach to take the team through the next Olympic cycle.
The team is currently preparing for the 2009 Grand Prix
and the 2009 European Championship.