Tai Agüero

Tai Agüero was a native Cuban who joined the Cuban national junior team in 1993, winning a gold medal at the Grand Champions Cup. Agüero won gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 1998 World Championships, and the 1995 and 1999 World Cup.

In 1998 Cuba allowed their players to compete abroad and Agüero joined Perugia, playing with them for two seasons, and winning an Italian Cup and a European Cup Winner’s Cup. She helped Cuba repeat as Olympic gold medalists at Sydney in 2000 but defected in 2001 during the Montreux Volley Masters, seeking asylum in Italy.

Agüero played for almost 20 years in Italy, with a short stint in Turkey from 2007-09. She played with multiple clubs, including Sirio, Asystel Novara, Villa Cortese, Universal Modena, Casalmaggiore, Forlì, Sassuolo, and ended her career in the 2020/21 season, with Exacer Montale in the Second League. With the Italian national team, Agüero appeared at the 2008 Olympics and won two European Championships (2007, 2009), the 2007 World Cup, and the 2009 Mediterranean Games.