Pan American volleyball champions returned with the goal in the Olympic Games

Published at: 02/09/2025 09:54 PM

Venezuela received this Tuesday at the Simón Bolívar airport in Maiquetía, the men's volleyball team, champion for the first time in the history of the NORCECA Pan American Cup, which culminated on Sunday in Guanajuato, Mexico.

The national sextet not only won the tournament, but it marked a milestone. Sunday's 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 25-19) win against Mexico awarded Venezuela's first gold medal in seven incursions into the competition, after achieving a perfect record of six straight wins with 15 sets won and only three lost.

Henyelberth Herrera, Deputy Minister of High Performance, on behalf of the Minister of Popular Power for Sports, Franklin Carrillo, welcomed the champions and indicated that this victory marks the new phase of national volleyball.

Olympic goal

“We returned to this competition and now, for the first time, we are champions. For us, it is an immense joy. This is the start of the Olympic cycle, with the goal set at Los Angeles 2028. There is a lot of work left, yes, but today everyone says: Venezuela is back,” Herrera stressed.

Herrera ratified the commitment of the Ministry of Sports to all the national teams in this discipline.” We will continue to provide the necessary support. This is not an isolated achievement. It's the beginning of a path that we are building together,” he said.

The player José “Chema” Rodríguez, the team's point guard and the group's tactical soul, smiles as he recalls the journey: six wins, only three sets lost, semifinals and final won against the host country.

For Chema, that victory is only the beginning, because the goal is further away. “We have already qualified for the Central American and Caribbean Games 2026. But our clear goal is to qualify for the World Senior Championship and the 2028 Olympic Games. That's what we're building. That's the dream,” Rodríguez said.

Mazo News Team