Hi everybody,
I am Ekaterina Gamova
Just a few words about myself.
I was born in Chelabinsk, Ural. I started playing volleyball at about 8 at my Aunt’s, Lubov. Always was the tallest in the high school…
At about 11 I realized that I liked volleyball better than any other game, though I still played basketball and handball for some time. Handball and basketball were tiring for me, because one needs to run a lot.
At 14 I was accepted into Avtodor-Metar, a professional Chelabinsk team, thus starting to train professionally.
In 1997 I joined the Russian National Junior Team. we won the 1997 World Championship and finished second at the 1998 European Championship
In 1998 Nikolay Karpol asked me to move to Ekaterinburg and play for Uralochka-NTMK. I happily agreed — it was a very strong team back then, and I honestly stayed with the team for almost 6 years. The game schedule was insane, the team training was so overwhelming, it could make one weep. There was almost no time for rest.
My favorite of that period is the Russian Championship final game between Uralochka and its daughter team Uralochka-NTMK 2 (or Uraltransbank), which I played for at that time. Our team had almost won the game, leading 2:1 in sets. We won the first round, took the lead in the second and nobody knows what the final of the round would have been, but for Nastya Belikova’s trauma. How forcefully have we fought that day…
I am in the Russian National Team since 1999. In January we played in Bremen, in June — in Switzerland. In July our University team got bronze of the Universiade in Palma, Spain. Then I went to China and played for the main team at the World Grand Prix. From there I flew back to Moscow and played for the Junior National Team (by the way, I arrived a couple of hours before we set off for Canada to play at the Junior World Championship).
The Canadians gave me a nickname Game Over, basing on my last name. But I did my best to suit this funny nickname scoring one point after another.
That year our National Team won the European Championship in Japan and got silver at the World Championship as well. Thus we got the tickets to the 2000 Olympics. In summer I was named the best blocker, won 9 points for the team.
In 2000/01 Olympic season I won a number of titles and prizes: became the Champion of Russia and got a bronze in the Champions League, we won the European Championship and played at the World Champions Cup. There I was the best blocker and the best scorer (102) of the tournament, I was 3 points ahead of my team mate Eugenia Artomonova.
At the Olympics in Athens Luba Sokolova and I had to sweat it out in the attack. All the hard work brought great results: I became the best scorer of the Olympic tournament with 204 points: 160 in attack, 31 at the blocks and 13 at serving. My blocks were named the most effective, I was the third best in attacks, but Zhang Ping attacked half as much (182 attack against 349 I did).
We lost the finals to the Chinese, that was upsetting to tears. Though we do have something to fight for now…
After the Olympics and the silver medals that came so surprising for everybody, I decided to move to Moscow. Was, in the first place, impossibly tired plus the coach’s pressure was too much for me. I wished to change my life, to have a chance to think everything out quietly.
In 2002 the Russians were the third at the World Championship in Germany. I scored 209, letting only Yumilka Ruíz, the Cuban, score more, was the second at blocks and servings. Did a great job, so to say..
We became the Russian Champions again in season 2002/03, but yet another attempt to win the Champions League failed — we lost to Kann
The next Russian Championship I played for «Dinamo» (MoscowRegion) and set up a new record in semi-final: 43 points. In the finals against «Uralochka» I scored 34, but never the less we lost to the Ekaterinbourg team.
In the Autumn of 2004 I left for «Dinamo» Moscow. By that time I have already graduated from Jurals State Physical Culture Academy and in 2005 entered the Journalism faculty of RGSU. 2006-2009 were good
For Diamo: 3 champion titles and 1 silver.
I march 2005 we got a new coach — Jovanni Kaprare (Italian). Within a year the Russian team won the World Championship for the first time. In the finals against Brazil I scored 28, including the winning score of the 5th set. I was the 4th scorer of the tournament. In 2007 I was the best scorer at European Championship in Luxembourg.
After the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where the Russians did not manage to win Kaprare left the team. He put it on the mentality (the misterious russian soul) and the laziness of the Russian team players. I decided to take some rest as well
Before the 2009 Grand Prix Vladimir Kizutkin was appointed the clach of the team. We got silver, though we were a hairline away from the victory against Brazil, who Got the title. And in general, we played pretty good at that tournament, became better of a unity somehow.
The 2009/10 season I spent in Turkey, playing for Fenerbahçe Ac?badem
(Istanbul) that invited me. Beginning with victory of the Turkish Super cup Championship, Fenerbahche leaded in the National Cup Championship and League Championship without a single loss. Only in the League Championships finals — 39th match of the season — this series of victories was broken.
The next title I got was for the best scorer at the finals of the four of the CEV Champions League in Cannes. In summer 2010 I left for Dinamo (Kazan).
November 14th, 2010 in Tokyo, like 4 years before, I got the chance to score the winning point in the finals of the World Championship. Altogether I scored 35 of 106 points scored by the Russians in that game against Brazil. That was awesome, seriously!
2010 brought a full basket of prizes: World Championship MVP, best player of the year by «Sovetskiy Sport», «Sport Express», «Novie Izvestiya». Was named the winner of «Golden Pedestal» by the «Russia-2» TV channel auditorium. And won the “Silver Deer” Award by Federation of Sport Journalists.
In 2011 with Dynamo Kazan I won the Russian Cup and National Championship, and was named MVP of both tournaments. After the Championship, I signed a new 2-year contract with the Kazan Club.
2004 Olympic Qualifier «Best Scorer»
2004 Olympic Games «Best Scorer»
2006 FIVB World Grand Prix «Best Scorer»
2006–07 Women’s Indesit European Champions’ League «Best Server»
2007 European Championship «Best Scorer»
2008–09 CEV Indesit Champions League Final Four «Best Scorer»
2009–10 CEV Indesit Champions League Final Four «Best Scorer»
2010 FIVB World Championship «Most Valuable Player»