Talita Antunes

Talita Antunes
Personal information
Full name Talita Antunes da Rocha
Nickname Talita
Born August 29, 1982
Aquidauana, MS, Brazil
Hometown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight 64 kg
Beach volleyball information
Current teammate
Teammate
Maria Antonelli
Previous teammates
Teammate Tours (points)
Maria Clara Salgado
Tatiana Minello
Tais Jesus
Renata Ribeiro
1 (27)
1 (18)
1 (-)

Talita Antunes da Rocha (born August 29, 1982) is a Brazilian beach volleyball player. She was FIVB rookie of the year in 2005.

Born in Aquidauana, Antunes caught the attention of Olympic Champion Jacqueline Silva at the age of 19. From the first time they played together, in Maceió in 2001, Jackie was impressed with Antunes' style and invited the young player to partner with her in 2002. The pair won the South American Championship in La Paz, Bolívia 2002.

After Silva was injured, Talita continued the 2002 season with Renata Ribeiro as her new partner. They won the championships in the Challenger Banco do Brasil in Natal and they were runners-up in the games held in Rio and Recife. In 2003, she was again champion in Goiânia do Circuito Banco do Brasil, this time with a new partner, Tais Jesus. She also partnered with Giseli Gavio on the Italian Circuit, ranking fourth overall. In 2005, she resumed her partnership with Ribeiro and was voted FIVB World Tour rookie of the year. Their partnership won them several competitions and they became one of the top-ranking teams in the world tour. In 2008, Talita was crowned Queen of the Beach in Brazil. In that same year, Talita and Renata represented Brazil in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They finished fourth after losing the hard-fought Bronze Medal Match to the Chinese Team.

In 2009, Talita forged a new partnership with Maria Elisa Antonelli. They won gold in the 2009 Swatch FIVB World Tour in China, South Korea, Switzerland, and Norway. They also won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in Stavanger, Norway. Their strong partnership landed Talita and Maria 1st overall ranking in the 2009 Brazilian Beach Volleyball Circuit and 2nd overall ranking in the 2009 World Ranking.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
 Larissa França and
Juliana Silva (BRA)
Women's FIVB Beach World Tour Winner
alongside Brazil Taiana Lima

2013
Succeeded by
 Maria Antonelli and
Juliana Silva (BRA)
Awards
Preceded by
 Kerri Walsh (USA)
Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Blocker"
2013
Succeeded by
 Kerri Walsh (USA)
Preceded by
 Kerri Walsh (USA)
Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Hitter"
2013–
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
 Juliana Silva (BRA)
Women's FIVB World Tour "Best Attacker"
2013
Succeeded by
 Kerri Walsh (USA)
Preceded by
 Larissa França and
Juliana Silva (BRA)
Women's FIVB World Tour "Team of the Year"
alongside Brazil Taiana Lima

2013
Succeeded by
 Juliana Silva and
Maria Antonelli (BRA)
Preceded by
Inaugural
Women's FIVB World Tour "Top Rookie"
2005
Succeeded by
 Xue Chen (CHN)