Natalia Martinez will turn 13 in November
Born on November 25, 2000 she is just twelve years young. “I started playing volleyball three years ago in my home town in the Dominican Republic. One day, a soccer coach saw me during a training session, and he noticed my potential (Natalia is 186cm tall). He spoke with the volleyball coach of my school who eventually asked me to join the junior national team. I am always the youngest player of my team. Now I play in Santo Domingo. I don’t feel any pressure; I know I have to grow, every day I try to do my best to improve.”
Natalia is already very tall, but looking at her age, she might grow a lot more. She plays for the first time at an international competition.
Being a teenager means also going to school. “Sometimes it is hard because I have to finish my homework after practice, but I really love to play so it’s not a big deal at the end.”
The young Dominican thinks also about her future, of course on the volleyball court: “One of my dreams is to play for the senior national team and to play at the Olympics!”
The Dominican Republic continued their run at Women’s U20 World Champs with their third consecutive win on Monday. The Caribbean team is already qualified for the second round.
To read more about this competition click on Junior World Championship 2013 W.
