08/04/2014 19:00
Russian star Ekaterina Gamova to spend another season with Dinamo KAZAN
News from the clubs
Kazan, Russia, April 8, 2014. Some three weeks after she anchored her team to a historic gold medal at the Final Four Tournament of the 2014 CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League – Women in Baku, Russia’s Volleyball superstar Ekaterina Gamova announced that she will be playing for the likes of Dinamo KAZAN also next year. This way Gamova will be spending her fifth season in the capital city of Tatarstan and the MVP of the Final Four has already set the bar very high for the next campaign.
“I decided to stay with Dinamo KAZAN because this club suits perfectly to me,” she said. “I had some time to make up my mind but the decision was made already some time ago. However, the contract for the next season was signed only yesterday.”
Gamova waited for some more weeks to reveal her plans to stay in Kazan so that “it would surprise the fans and create some more suspense.” Gamova was apparently contacted also by Turkey’s heavyweight Fenerbahce SK ISTANBUL with whom she spent the 2009/2010 season winning silver at the Champions League Finals in Cannes. “There were some more offers on the table but I did not consider them at all. I was only interested in a possible move to Turkey and Fenerbahce was an option because I already played there and would then come back to this team.”
Gamova eventually opted to stay with Dinamo “because I want to spend more time in Russia and this way I could fulfill this wish as well.” After winning the CEV DenizBank Volleyball Champions League, Dinamo also got the right to participate in the FIVB Club World Championship scheduled for early May in Zurich. “I want to stay with Dinamo also because they fight for the best result in every competition they enter,” Gamova stresses.
Gamova eventually brought the Champions League crown to Russia after many failed attempts. Dinamo turned into the first team from that Volleyball powerhouse to win the competition since its establishment 14 years ago. “We had set this goal at the beginning of the season, but now we are fully focused on the national league that we want to win as well. Right now we are preparing for the start of the Playoffs.”
After winning Europe’s most coveted trophy in Baku, Gamova says: “For me every victory is important in its own way, so that trophy goes with all others I have in my showcase.”
Together with Dinamo Gamova has won the Russian Superleague three times in a row adding to this another two titles in the national cup. “I think we have some good chances to retain our title. We will be doing our best to achieve this goal. You never get tired of winning titles. Elite players do always set one only goal: to win.”
Since the start of this season Gamova has worn a jersey bearing also the name of her husband, Mikhail Mukasey. “I am planning to continue the same way next year too. With this double name I won the Champions League, so it seems to be a good omen for the future.”
Talking about good omens, Gamova recounts that within her team people are getting convinced that whenever her mother-in-law – Russian actress Svetlana Druchinina – is in attendance, Dinamo always wins. “I do not pay attention to that but of course I am happy when members of my family come and cheer on us. If my family is with me, I feel stronger.”
Gamova has a Facebook profile which is being followed by some 5,000 “friends.” “I have decided to embrace social networks because you can address a much larger audience than by just giving an interview. I can also share a lot of information about my life, our matches, what we do and where we go. It’s funny to interact with the fans and engage with them. I read all of their messages even though I have no time to answer each post.”
Back in 2012 Gamova announced in London her intention to retire from the national team immediately after Russia lost in the 1/4 finals of the Olympic tournament after missing on a series of match balls. “Though people keep on asking if I am going to come back, I can say that there are no plans at all in this sense, at least for this season. As for the Olympics 2016, they are still too far away to start making any plans.”
Gamova will hence skip the national team season and enjoy a break from competitive sport. “We are slowly planning what we intend to do this summer and we are certainly going to spend time with friends. I do not want to spend all of my time lying on a beach. There are so many interesting things to do and to see. I still do not know where we are heading to, but we certainly will spend some time in Europe and in America as well. It is going to be a very interesting journey.”
|