Thaisa Menezes: The 6’5” Volleyball Star Who Towers Over the Competition
So, Thaisa Daher de Menezes, this super tall Brazilian volleyball player, has won two Olympic gold medals and is famous not just for her awesome skills but also for her height. She’s 37 years old now and still turning heads, especially after playing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Lately, people can’t stop talking about her because she’s way taller than most of her teammates, and everyone’s curious about her actual height. According to what I’ve read, the average height for a pro female volleyball player is usually between 5’7” (170 cm) and 6 feet (183 cm). But Thaisa? She’s about 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm) tall, which definitely makes her stand out.
Thaisa’s Volleyball Journey Started with Her Brother
Thaisa was born in Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, and got into volleyball thanks to her brother, Tiago. Before that, she was all about swimming until she hit 13. Then, she switched gears and started playing volleyball.
She made her debut with the youth and junior teams and won the South America Championship in 2002 when she was just 15. The next year, she grabbed the world championship titles in both youth and junior teams.
Thaisa’s big break came in 2008 when she won her first Olympic gold medal with the Brazilian team at the Beijing Olympics. Then, in 2010, she snagged a silver medal at the FIVB World Club Championship and even won the Best Spiker award.
Throughout her career, Thaisa has racked up a ton of gold and silver medals in different world and national championships. She retired from the national team in 2018, but not before winning her second Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games.
But wait, she didn’t stay retired for long. Thaisa came back to her Brazilian team in 2023 and played in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League and Olympic Qualifying tournaments. People often call her one of the greatest Brazilian volleyball players of all time, and she’s definitely still winning over fans everywhere.
Extra Stuff You Should Know
- Thaisa’s parents, Domingos de Menezes and Monica Daher, are descendants of Lebanese immigrants. Her dad is a serviceman.
- She’s in a relationship with Rafael Rodrigues, who’s a Hypnotherapist and Coach with over 14k Instagram followers. She was married to Guilherme Pallesi before, but they ended up getting divorced.
- Thaisa’s got around 1.4 million followers on Instagram, where she shares pics of her volleyball career and her adventures with her family and partner.
