Yulia Viktorovna Merkulova

Yulia Viktorovna Merkulova
July 2010
portrait
Date of birth	17th February 1984
place of birth	Lipetsk, Soviet Union
size	2.02 m
position	Middle block
societies
1999–2000 2000–2009 2009–2010 2010–2012 from 2012	Lipetsk VK Saretschje Odintsowo VK Dynamo Krasnodar VK Dynamo Moscow VK Dynamo Krasnodar
National team
since 2005	A national team
successes
2002 - 2004 2005 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2009 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012	Russian Cup winner European Championship third Russian runner-up finalist Grand Prix World Champion Russian Cup winner European Championship third Russian master Champions League finalist Olympic fifth Russian runner-up World champion Russian cup winner Russian runner-up Russian runner-up Olympic fifth
As of August 22, 2012

Julija Wiktorovna Merkulova ( Russian Юлия Викторовна Меркулова , English transcription: Yulia Viktorovna Merkulova ; born February 17, 1984 in Lipetsk ) is a Russian volleyball player . She took part in two Olympic Games and twice became world champion.

Career

Merkulova began her career in 1999 in the club in her hometown. After a year she went to VK Saretschje Odintsowo . With Odintsovo she won the Russian Cup three times in a row from 2002 to 2004. In 2005 she made her debut in the Russian national team , with which she reached third place at the European Championship . In 2006 she came second in the league as well as with Russia in the Grand Prix . Then she became world champion in Japan . In 2007 her club won the cup again. At the European Championships , Russia repeated third place. A year later, after winning the Russian championship, Odintsovo reached the final of the Champions League against Colussi Perugia . In Beijing, the middle blocker took part in the Olympic tournament , in which Russia came fifth with the quarter-finals. In 2009 Merkulowa said goodbye as runner-up from Odintsovo and moved to VK Dynamo Krasnodar . At the 2010 World Cup , she successfully defended the title with the national team. Then she was committed by VK Dynamo Moscow . With the new club, she won the cup in 2011 and placed second in the league. In 2012 Moscow was again runner-up. Merkulova played in London for the second time at the Olympic Games ; Russia lost to eventual winners Brazil in the quarter-finals and came in fifth again. After the tournament, Merkulova will return to Krasnodar.

Web links

• Julija Viktorovna Merkulova in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Profile at FIVB (English)