Raiza Mirelda O'Farrill Bolaños

Raiza O'Farrill was born in San Diego del Valle, Villaclara. She began practicing volleyball at age 8 in her small hometown belonging to the municipality of Cifuentes, in Villa Clara. Coach Alfredo Pérez Camacho showed her the basic secrets of the discipline and her sister, a volleyball player before her, served as her example and guide.

From the very beginning she knew it, the activity enchanted her and the position she assumed on the court would distinguish her throughout her career. The pass was her mission.

Soon her talent opened the doors of the EIDE for her, a stage she always remembered as positive, which made her independent and got her into some "friction" with her mother.

"My sister was already there and I started to know the world of sports, but I still didn't know about the existence of a national team, or the Morenas del Caribe, I simply liked what I did. I had Professor Guillermina Abreu as my coach and Professor Sergio Rivero; for me, like a second father. He created the fundamental foundations for me to reach the national team. I owe him everything and a large part of my development as a person.

She moved to the provincial ESPA in Caracatey, and began to participate in the first category with Villa Clara. She was 14 years old and had to face Josefina Capote, Magaly Carvajal, Mercedes Calderón, Mireya Luis… She was a bit nervous, but she knew it was the opportunity to test her strength against them.

"I entered the national ESPA and when I arrived… There were so many women! The cadets team had about twenty or so, then there was the youth team with Idalmis Gato, Sonia Lescaille, Mayra Ferrer and then Cuba B and Cuba A. I said to myself: 'Well, I'm never going to make it'. I studied the pre-university, we had classes in the morning and then we'd take a little bus and go to Cerro Pelado to train, to see the gap left free by the youth national team and the seniors. We almost always practiced at night. We did physical training in the afternoon, with Tomás Fernández and Celestino Suárez. They were my two coaches in the foundation of what is the national cadets preselection. In that group were Marleny Costa, Ana Ibis Fernández and Martha Sánchez".

Raiza continued her ascent in the pyramid and joined the youth team, while having to overcome the loss of her father, who died in a traffic accident. During those times, she recalls the first time she dressed as she had dreamed since that unforgettable match between the Morenas and the United States.

She was part of Cuba's Women's Volleyball Team and won double gold medals at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games and the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. She also participated in the FIVB 1994 Women's Volleyball World Championship in Brazil.

"On my first trip abroad to represent the team, when they gave out the uniforms, how can I explain it to you?!… They held the meeting, handed out the gear and I quickly went to the bathroom and put it on. When I saw myself in that blue and red sweater, with the sleeves that said 'Cuba, Cuba, Cuba, Cuba' —she counts along her arm—, I put on my socks, I looked at myself and said: 'I made it!'".

After her time on the youth team, she made the jump to the national preselection. There she saw more closely the established figures: Mireya Luis, Norka Latamblet, Josefina O'Farrill, Imilsis Téllez, Mercedes Calderón. However, she was not yet training with them.

"I was like in the preselection of Cuba B. We played the Cuba Cups and I always ended up in B, but at the very bottom of B. I was like that for a long time, until the 1991 Pan American Games came, then there was a kind of restructuring and several players left. Then we began the nineties era, which was wonderful".

The first trip she made with the national team was a winter tour, she was in the preselection and the vast majority of the group and some starting players were going. There they played against Russia, the United States and other countries. That's how they kept strengthening themselves.

Finally she joined the national team for Barcelona 92. "I was very happy, however, I didn't know what an olympiad was, in fact none of us had that magnitude, because Cuba hadn't been to Los Angeles or Seoul".

She competed alongside outstanding figures such as Mireya Luis, Regla Torres, Yumilka Ruiz, Mirka Francia and Taismary Agüero. At the club level, she played with "Villa Clara".

She also worked as a professor at the "Universidad de Ciencias de la Cultura Física y el Deporte Manuel Fajardo". Bachelor's degree in Physical Culture in 2007 from the Universidad del Deporte Cubano and Master's degree in Science in Sports Training Methodology for High Performance in 2017 and holds the main teaching category of Assistant Professor.

Professor at UCCFD "Manuel Fajardo" in the Ball Sports Department. She teaches Volleyball to three types of courses (Regular day course, Weekend course and Higher Technician for sports training). She is a member of REDIPE, journal of the civil association of sports medicine of Argentina (ACMDBA). Her work also highlights her participation as a professor in national and international courses, her participation in the 1st virtual seminar on sports and the environment, scientific workshops of Faculty 2 and CEPAFD, summer courses, editions of International Congress AFIDE, international training course in goalball and paragoalball, to name a few examples.

Thesis advisor for undergraduate theses. She is currently enrolled in the Doctoral Training Program.

SPORTS CAREER:
Glory of revolutionary sports. Former athlete of the National Volleyball Team member of the prestigious squad called for a long time the "Spectacular Morenas del Caribe".

Multi-medalist in senior and youth championships.
Three Gold medals in Olympic Games
Gold medals in World Championships
Gold medals in World Cups
Gold medals in Pan American Games
Gold medals in Central American Games
Gold medals in Grand Prix competitions
Other events scheduled by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVS).