Dante Amaral facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dante Amaral
Personal information
Full name	Dante Guimarães Santos do Amaral
Born	30 September 1980 (1980-09-30) (age 44) Itumbiara, GO, Brazil
Height	201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Weight	86 kg (190 lb)
Spike	345 cm (136 in)
Block	327 cm (129 in)
Volleyball information
Position	Outside spiker
Current club	Retired
Career
Years Teams 1999–2000 Três Corações 2000–2001 Suzano São Paulo 2001–2002 Minas Tênis Clube 2002–2005 Pallavolo Modena 2005–2008 Panathinaikos V.C. 2008–2011 VC Dynamo Moscow 2011–2012 RJX 2012–2014 Panasonic Panthers 2014–2015 Funvic Taubaté 2015–2016 EC São José 2016–2017 PAOK Thessaloniki 2017–2018 Funvic Taubaté
National team
1999–2013  Brazil
Honours Men's volleyball Representing  Brazil Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 2 0 World Championship 3 0 0 World Cup 2 0 1 World Grand Champions Cup 0 1 0 World League 7 3 0 Pan American Games 1 0 1 Total 14 6 2 Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team Silver 2008 Beijing Team Silver 2012 London Team World Championship Gold 2002 Argentina Team Gold 2006 Japan Team Gold 2010 Italy Team World Cup Gold 2003 Japan Team Gold 2007 Japan Team Bronze 2011 Japan Team World Grand Champions Cup Silver 2001 Japan Team World League Gold 2001 Katowice Team Gold 2003 Madrid Team Gold 2004 Rome Team Gold 2005 Belgrade Team Gold 2006 Moscow Team Gold 2007 Katowice Team Gold 2010 Córdoba Team Silver 2002 Belo Horizonte Team Silver 2011 Gdańsk Team Silver 2013 Mar del Plata Team Pan American Games Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo Team South American Championship Gold 2011 Cuiabá Team Gold 2013 Cabo Frio Team

Dante Guimarães Santos do Amaral (born September 30, 1980), known to many as just Dante, is a famous former Brazilian volleyball player. He was an amazing outside hitter, known for his powerful spikes and blocks. Standing at 2.01 meters (about 6 feet 7 inches) tall, Dante was a key player for the Brazilian national team for many years. He was born in Itumbiara, Brazil.

Dante's Volleyball Journey

Starting His Career

Dante began his professional volleyball career in 1999 with a Brazilian club called Tres Corações. He then played for two other Brazilian teams, Suzano São Paulo and Minas Belo Horizonte. In 2002, he moved to Italy to play for Pallavolo Modena. While there, he helped his team win the CEV Cup, a big European volleyball competition.

Playing in Greece and Russia

In 2005, Dante joined the Greek team Panathinaikos. He had a very successful time there, winning the Greek championship in 2006. The next year, in 2007, he helped his team win both the Greek Cup and the Supercup. Later, he also played for the Russian club VC Dynamo Moscow.

Playing for Brazil's National Team

Dante was a very important part of the Brazil men's national volleyball team from 1999 to 2013. With the national team, he won many major titles. One of his biggest achievements was winning the Olympic gold medal in 2004. He also helped Brazil win the World Championship three times, in 2002, 2006, and 2010.

Dante was often recognized for his skills. He was named the best spiker at the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2006 World Championship. In 2005, he was even named the best blocker in the World League. In 2011, he won the Best Spiker award at the South American Championship, helping his team qualify for the World Cup.

Major Achievements

Dante Amaral has won many medals throughout his career, both with his clubs and with the Brazilian national team.

Club Successes

• 2001/2002 Won the Brazilian Superliga with Minas Tênis Clube.
• 2005/2006 Won the Greek League with Panathinaikos Athens.
• 2012/2013 Won the Brazilian Superliga again, this time with Minas Tênis Clube.
• 2016/2017 Won the Greek League with P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki.

European Club Competitions

• CEV Champions League:
  • 2002/2003 – Second place with Modena Volley.
  • 2009/2010 – Second place with Dynamo Moscow.
  • 2010/2011 – Third place with Dynamo Moscow.
• CEV Challenge Cup:
  • 2003/2004 – Won with Modena Volley.

National Team Medals

Dante won many medals with the Brazilian national team:

• Olympic Games:
  • 2004 Athens (Gold)
  • 2008 Beijing (Silver)
  • 2012 London (Silver)
• World Championship:
  • 2002 Argentina (Gold)
  • 2006 Japan (Gold)
  • 2010 Italy (Gold)
• World Cup:
  • 2003 Japan (Gold)
  • 2007 Japan (Gold)
  • 2011 Japan (Bronze)
• World League:
  • Won 7 gold medals (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010)
  • Won 3 silver medals (2002, 2011, 2013)
• Pan American Games:
  • 2007 Rio de Janeiro (Gold)
  • 2003 Santo Domingo (Bronze)
• South American Championship:
  • Won 5 gold medals (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2013)
• World Grand Champions Cup:
  • 2001 Japan (Silver)

Individual Awards

Dante also received many awards for his individual performance:

• 2004 World League – Best Receiver
• 2004 Summer Olympics – Best Spiker
• 2005 World League – Best Blocker
• 2005 America's Cup – Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Attacker
• 2006 World Championship – Best Spiker
• 2007 World Cup – Best Spiker
• 2008 World League – Best Spiker
• 2010 CEV Champions League – Best Spiker
• 2010 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner – Best Receiver
• 2011 South American Championship – Best Spiker
• 2014 Kurowashiki Tournament – Ideal Player

See also

In Spanish: Dante Amaral para niños