Katya Gamova: biography, height, photos, parents, husband

For more than 25 years Katia Gamowa has been in great sport, her biography is full of ups and grand victories. She achieved incredible results, a bright and talented sportswoman forever made her name in the history of Russian volleyball.

Katya Gamova is not just an outstanding Russian volleyball player, she is a symbol of all our volleyball, an idol of millions and an example for imitation. This bright, beautiful girl is a well-deserved master of sports of the Russian Federation, she was recognized as the best sportswoman of the country, she became a torchbearer at the Universiade and lit the fire at the opening ceremony.

Ekaterina Gamova is the main star of our volleyball

Journalists call her Catherine the Great for grandiose and dizzying successes and victories, fans gave her another nickname - Game Over, because Katya can with one powerful blow decide the outcome of the game with the most difficult and dangerous opponent, as it was in the victorious finals of the world championships in 2006 and 2010 .

At the European Championships in Brussels, when the Russian national team stopped a step away from the victory and won bronze, experts unanimously agreed that Katya Gamova is the number one volleyball player of the tournament. Among the finalists from Serbia and Italy, there was not one athlete who surpassed her in individual skills.

In 2006, Gamow was awarded the prize "For Services to the Fatherland", I degree. This award is awarded only to the most outstanding athletes. In addition, Gamova at different times won the "Glory" in the nomination "For the will to win", "The Silver Lane", awarded by the Federation of Sports Journalists of Russia, has repeatedly become the best in tournaments of very different calibres.

Early career - Chelyabinsk

The upbringing of a small Katya was done by two women - Irina Borisovna's mother and her sister Lyubov. The father of the champion refused to bring up her daughter when she was still in the hospital, and therefore the girl had to be strong from the very childhood and not in the age of an adult. At 10 years old Katya Gamowa chose a volleyball, her parents (more precisely, mom and aunt) supported her in this. Gamow from an early age showed her explosive nature and perseverance. In the volleyball section she was brought by her aunt, in the past a professional volleyball player. And although originally Katia was also engaged in basketball and handball, the love of volleyball still won.

His first title, the Cup of Russia, Katya Gamova won at the age of 16 as part of the Chelyabinsk team "Avtodor-Metar". It was this club that opened the young athlete to the road to a great sport, where she could see her talent and potential. She signed a contract with "Metar" at the age of only 14 years and spent the first 4 years of her career here.

Moving to Ekaterinburg and reaching a new level

In 1998, Gamow left her hometown, taking advantage of the opportunity to play for one of the best volleyball clubs in the country - Uralochka. The team was headed by the famous Russian specialist Nikolai Karpol, who several years later will again train Gamow, but already in the main team of the country - in the Russian team.

Playing for the Uralochka subsidiary of Uraltransbank, Katya easily attracted the attention of specialists and demonstrated her deep potential in attacking activities. As part of "Uraltransbank" she became a silver medalist of the Russian championship, then the team only lost to "Uralochka" in the equal fight, and this is a unique event for the volleyball.

Two years later, in 2000, Gamova moved to the main team. Together with "Uralochka" and Karpol, she became a multiple winner of the national championship, twice winner of the Champions League. About Gamova started talking, she became one of the leaders of the team and a rising star of Russian sport.

Development of club career

In 2004, Gamova took a new challenge - she resolutely broke the contract with the club in Ekaterinburg and moved to Moscow to play for Dynamo (Moscow). As part of the new team, Katya became the winner of the Russian champion title three times.

Wishing to try his forces abroad, to give a new round of his career, after five years of playing for the Moscow team, Gamow moved to Istanbul. For "Fenerbahce" Katya spent the season 2009-2010, together with the team showing incredible results. Catherine became the winner of the Volleyball League of Turkey, reached the Champions League final, scored the most points in the League of Four. It's amazing that during almost the whole season of the domestic championship the team did not suffer defeats, and the unbeaten series was 39 matches.

Triumphant return home

Despite the grandiose success, after a year Gamow returned to Russia again, concluding a contract with the Kazan "Dynamo" this time. Perhaps, it was here that Gamova's club career reached its apogee: already in the debut season she won the Cup and the Russian championship, and in each tournament she was recognized as the best among the players. In 2014, she finally won international club tournaments - for the first time in her career, Gamow won in international club tournaments: the Champions League and the world championship among clubs. In addition to the gold medal, Katya was awarded the prize as the most important player of each of these tournaments.

Career in the Russian team

For the national team of the country, Katya always played with full dedication, giving the game all the strength and emotions. One of the most striking proof of this is one of the most beautiful and dramatic games of the Russian national volleyball team, when in the final of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens our girls lost to the Chinese women. Katya brought the team 33 points in that game, became the most productive player in the Olympic tournament, the main attacking force and the team leader, but that was not enough. Despite all the efforts made by Katya Gamova, the photo with her sincere tears of disappointment flew around the world. Unfortunately, the Olympics still have not yielded to the Russian team.

At the first World Cup in 1998, it was taken by Nikolai Karpol, giving a young talented athlete to immerse himself in the atmosphere as an assistant coach. A year later, Gamow, being a full-fledged player, won gold medals at the European Championships. After the arrival of the Italian specialist Caprara in 2005, Katya becomes the key player of the team, and a year later the Russian team finally wins the World Cup. In 2010, the first team of the country will succeed in repeating this success, and Gamow will receive more than one award as the best player of the tournament.

Physical parameters of the champion

Katya Gamowa's game is equally good both in defense and in attack. She puts the block that destroys the most powerful blows, and her attacks cut through the rival defense and bring points. This power is not without reason, Katya Gamova, her growth is 202 centimeters, and the height of the attack and the block is more than three meters. The unique physical data of the girl, along with the talent and ability to instantly read the game, make Gamow one of the best sportswomen of her time. And the slender, long legs of the girl practically became her business card.

Outside the game: personal life

Katya Gamova is not just a world-class athlete, she is a real sports star, a bright and beautiful girl. Thanks to an outstanding game, she is well known in many countries of the world, Katya often takes part in various shootings for glossy publications, is shot in advertising. During one of these shootings she met her future husband, the son of the director Svetlana Druzhinina, Mikhail Mukasey. Mikhail made such famous paintings as "Hunting for the deer," "For treason," "Montana."

Katya Gamova and Mikhail Mukasei were married in 2012, the wedding was held in an atmosphere of secrecy: the couple refused to sell photos and other media to journalists. Nevertheless, the pages of magazines are regularly full of photos of this bright, beautiful and high pair: 202 centimeters - Katya Gamova has such growth, her husband is only a few centimeters below her. This pair is one of the most visible and beautiful tandems in Russian sports.

Gamow today

The 2015-2016 season for Katya was a real test: the old leg injury again manifested itself. Katya Gamova can not play at full strength and was forced by the coach's decision to skip the finals of the 2015 Russian Cup. Preparations for the season began late, the preparatory process was forced and therefore lubricated. Unfortunately, the best volleyball player of the country now is not in the best shape, but doctors, like Katya herself, are optimistic. Gamow is gradually recovering and gaining shape, is preparing to take part in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. These games will be the fifth in the life of the sportswoman, and, perhaps, in Brazil, Katya will be able to win the award, which she went on all her life - the Olympic gold medal.

It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of the sportswoman to the development of domestic volleyball. In Kazan, the project to create a school Gamova. This idea has already been supported by the president of the republic. Hundreds of children will be able to play sports in excellent conditions, and not one child's dream will come true. Perhaps one day a new star of Russian volleyball will grow up in the walls of this school, but for now the main pride of our country remains a strong and brave girl from Chelyabinsk - Ekaterina Gamova.