Bogota, Colombia, January 5, 2020 – Melissa Rangel and her Colombia teammates are preparing to ride the wave of confidence that is coursing through the team as they begin their preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifiers.
Antonio Rizola’s team will host the South American women's tournament at the El Salitre Coliseum, in Bogota from January 7 to 9. On offer for the winning team is a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which would be Colombia’s Olympic volleyball debut.
Colombia will face Venezuela, Argentina and Peru and are in confident mood after they won silver at the Lima 2019 Pan-American Games, which also featured a win over continental powerhouse Brazil in the semifinal.
“Since last year we have enjoyed super important results,” Rangel said. “That result in Lima was super important because finishing second to the Dominican Republic is an excellent achievement for Colombia in volleyball and it helps keep our sport moving forward.
“We have made history in the Olympic cycle, especially in Lima (Pan American Games) because we reached the final and won a historic silver medal for our country, that fills us with confidence.”
The 25-year-old Rangel will be a vital player with her 1.93 metre presence at the net key to Colombia’s hopes.
She and her teammates have benefitted hugely from Rizola’s coaching. The Brazilian took over as coach at the start of 2017.
“He has changed our minds, he has made us think positive all the time, he showed us that with attitude you can do many things,” Rangel said.
“I remember the semifinal against Brazil in the Pan American Games. In that game I give all the credit to the coach because with that attitude we were able to win a very close game.”
Quick links - Volleyball:
Continental Tokyo Volleyball Qualification
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