Regla Torres, the legend of Cuban volleyball goes from coach to Russian Superliga

January 28, 2023

The three-time Olympic champion and considered the best player of the 20th century by the International Volleyball Federation FIVB, Regla Torres, was presented as part of the coaching staff of Uralochka in the Russian Superliga, and will share the bench with the legendary coach Nikolay Karpol.

The Caribbean Morena is already in Yekaterinburg, the city where the Uralochka club of the first division of the Russian Superliga is based. On January 24 she was presented, and will be under the orders of Nikolay Karpol, who was an Olympic champion with the USSR national teams in 1980 and 1988.

The roster also includes two promising Caribbean players, opposite Yalain de la Peña and middle blocker Dayana Martínez, so the arrival of Regla Torres could mean help for the young athletes, as she herself acknowledged in an interview conducted by the club's press corps.

"I worked with Cuba's national team, I went to the Federation and said I wanted to work with Uralochka. They told me yes, that it was an excellent opportunity for me to work with Nikolay Karpol. Also to help the young Cuban players on the club who are visiting Russia for the first time," she said.

Since 2008, Regla Torres has been part of the Cuban Volleyball Federation, linked in one way or another, but in recent years she has been seen joining the coaching staffs of Cuba's female youth national teams. When asked why she decided to become a coach, she responded:

"At first I didn't want to be a coach because I didn't feel a connection between the girls and me. It's difficult to work on a female team. They come at the age of 13-14 years, many families are far away, so they must be perceived and raised like my own children. You have to support them not only in sports, but also in other areas. It's very hard".

Regla Torres also spoke about Cuba's national championship, and the similarities and differences between Cuban and Russian volleyball. "In Cuba there is a weak and short championship that lasts only 3 weeks. At other times, athletes train in the national team. Now many go to play abroad in other leagues".

"In Russian volleyball more time is dedicated to technique, to its purity. It's the same as in Cuba, but we don't dedicate much time to it. We have more power, aggressive volleyball. Now it's a different time from the 90s. My coach Eugenio George and Nikolay Karpol were very good friends. They talked about volleyball all the time, maybe that's why our training system is similar".

On the decision to accept the offer, Regla said: "Immediately. They invited me to work in other countries, but it wasn't of interest to me. Now, working with Karpol, I can learn from him. I can also help Cuban volleyball".