Sara Anzanello, eight years after her death: Italian volleyball hasn’t forgotten her
Eight years have passed since the death of Sara Anzanello, one of the leading figures in Italian volleyball in the early 2000s. On October 25, 2018, the former national team middle blocker passed away at just 38 years old, after a long battle with serious health issues. The news caused great emotion in the volleyball world, where Anzanello was known and appreciated not only for her athletic skills but also for the determination she showed throughout her illness.
Born on July 30, 1980, in San Donà di Piave, Sara began to stand out on the volleyball court at an early age, eventually becoming one of the most important middle blockers in Italian volleyball. The most significant moment of her career came in 2002, when she was part of the national team that won Italy’s first-ever women’s volleyball world title in Germany. She also won two World Cups with Italy, in 2007 and 2011, contributing to one of the most successful periods in the history of Italian volleyball.
Her career took a sudden turn in 2013, while she was playing in Azerbaijan. A severe case of hepatitis forced her to return urgently to Italy, where she underwent a liver transplant. Difficult months followed, marked by medical treatment and a long rehabilitation process. For an athlete accustomed to training daily, returning to normal life required time and patience.
Anzanello nevertheless managed to recover and get back into volleyball. She worked with Club Italia and, later, returned to play for Novara in Serie B1. It was a significant achievement, especially considering the severity of her condition just a few years earlier. Her experience also led her to advocate for organ donation, a cause close to her heart.
In the final months of 2018, however, her health deteriorated once again. On October 25, news of her passing arrived, met with deep sorrow by her former teammates, her clubs, and the many fans who had followed her throughout her career. The following weekend, a minute of silence was observed on the fields of the Women’s Serie A.
Sara’s death came just a few days after Italy won the silver medal at the World Cup in Japan. This result had brought the women’s national team back to the world championship podium and inevitably brought to mind the success of 2002, when Anzanello herself had helped write an important chapter in Italian sports history.
Eight years later, her name remains linked above all to that generation of players who contributed to the growth of women’s volleyball. Those who saw her play remember a reliable, competitive middle blocker capable of holding her own at the highest international levels. Those who followed the final years of her life, on the other hand, recall the struggle of her recovery after the transplant and the joy of seeing her back on a volleyball court.
