2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic GamesAug 5, 2016 by Beverly Oden
2016 Olympics Rankings: #1 Brazil (Men)
2016 Olympics Rankings: #1 Brazil (Men)
The Brazil men's volleyball team snagged the No. 1 spot in our 2016 Olympics Rankings.
The FloVolleyball Olympics Rankings will count down to the start of the indoor volleyball competition in Rio by highlighting one team per gender each day. Today, one day before the first serve, we profile the No. 1-ranked Brazil men and women.
Wallace De Souza, Outside Hitter
Best scorer, best spiker, 10th-best blocker at World League Preliminary Round; Eighth-best spiker World Championship
Ricardo Lucarelli Santos de Souza, Outside Hitter
Best server, 2nd best spiker, 4th best scorer at World League preliminary round. 5th best scorer World Championship
Mauricio Souza, Middle Blocker
Brazil's best blocker, sixth-best blocker at World League Preliminary Round; Best blocker World League Final Round
The Brazilian men's team has participated in every Olympic Games since the sport's inception in 1964. Rio will be the team's 14th Olympic appearance and first opportunity to win Olympic gold on home soil. The team has won five medals in total, two gold (1992, 2004) and three silver (1984, 2008, 2012.)
In the 2012 Olympics, Brazil was upset by Russia in five in the gold medal match. It was a heartbreaking loss as Russia came back from an 0-2 deficit to snatch the gold medal out of Brazil's hands.
Brazil has managed to remain No. 1 in the world by consistenly finishing second. After taking silver in London, Brazil placed second in World League three times, including this year when it lost to Serbia in the gold-medal match. One of its few missteps occurred when Brazil hosted the World League Final Round in 2015 but failed to make the medal round after losing to eventual winner Serbia.
As the host country, Brazil automatically qualified for the Olympics, so it did not participate in World Cup in 2015. At World Championships in 2014 it again placed second to Poland, who beat it in four in the gold medal match.
Brazil is growing tired of silver medals. It played well in World League this year and is determined to win the team's first gold in 12 years. There are quite a few teams that could knock Brazil out in the playoffs if it has an off night, but missing the medal round in an event that it's hosting probably won't happen again anytime soon. This team will face a tough challenge in pool play. It may find it difficult to emerge in first or second place due to the presence of teams it has struggled with lately including France and USA. With five returning Olympians and a raucous crowd on its side Brazil should still be standing at tournament's end and is the favorite to win gold.
11. Egypt
10. Cuba
9. Canada
8. Argentina
6. Iran
5. Italy
1. Brazil
COUNTRY: Brazil
TOP PLAYERS
Wallace De Souza, Outside Hitter
Best scorer, best spiker, 10th-best blocker at World League Preliminary Round; Eighth-best spiker World Championship
Ricardo Lucarelli Santos de Souza, Outside Hitter
Best server, 2nd best spiker, 4th best scorer at World League preliminary round. 5th best scorer World Championship
Mauricio Souza, Middle Blocker
Brazil's best blocker, sixth-best blocker at World League Preliminary Round; Best blocker World League Final Round
SYNOPSIS
The Brazilian men's team has participated in every Olympic Games since the sport's inception in 1964. Rio will be the team's 14th Olympic appearance and first opportunity to win Olympic gold on home soil. The team has won five medals in total, two gold (1992, 2004) and three silver (1984, 2008, 2012.)
In the 2012 Olympics, Brazil was upset by Russia in five in the gold medal match. It was a heartbreaking loss as Russia came back from an 0-2 deficit to snatch the gold medal out of Brazil's hands.
Brazil has managed to remain No. 1 in the world by consistenly finishing second. After taking silver in London, Brazil placed second in World League three times, including this year when it lost to Serbia in the gold-medal match. One of its few missteps occurred when Brazil hosted the World League Final Round in 2015 but failed to make the medal round after losing to eventual winner Serbia.
As the host country, Brazil automatically qualified for the Olympics, so it did not participate in World Cup in 2015. At World Championships in 2014 it again placed second to Poland, who beat it in four in the gold medal match.
PREDICTION
Brazil is growing tired of silver medals. It played well in World League this year and is determined to win the team's first gold in 12 years. There are quite a few teams that could knock Brazil out in the playoffs if it has an off night, but missing the medal round in an event that it's hosting probably won't happen again anytime soon. This team will face a tough challenge in pool play. It may find it difficult to emerge in first or second place due to the presence of teams it has struggled with lately including France and USA. With five returning Olympians and a raucous crowd on its side Brazil should still be standing at tournament's end and is the favorite to win gold.
FloVolleyball Men's 2016 Olympics Rankings
12. Mexico
11. Egypt
10. Cuba
9. Canada
8. Argentina
7. France
6. Iran
5. Italy
4. USA
3. Russia
2. Poland
1. Brazil
