USA TODAY Sports counts down the 100 days to the Rio Olympics with daily stories about athletes, teams and coaches preparing for the Summer Games.
USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal didn’t really have to explain the timing of Karch Kiraly’s contract extension to coach the women’s national volleyball team through 2020.
Kiraly, whose contract extension was announced Thursday, has a record that speaks for itself.
He is the first player – male or female – to win Olympic gold in both indoor (1984, 1988) and beach volleyball (1996).
During his playing career, he won the Triple Crown of volleyball, with included gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, 1985 FIVB World Cup and 1986 FIVB World Championship. He also won 148 beach volleyball tournaments before retiring in 2007.
He is the first coach to lead the American women’s volleyball team to the FIVB World Championship gold medal in 62 years.
It’s no surprise that Beal wanted Kiraly, 55, as his coach for Rio and beyond.
“We feel frankly honored and very lucky that we’ve been able to secure Karch’s services,” Beal said Thursday on a conference call with reporters. “The job that he’s done up to now in this quad is really exceptional and to be able to have the continuity with someone we value so highly is a huge plus for our program.”
Despite his success with the U.S. team since taking over as head coach in September 2012, Kiraly is only looking ahead to the Olympic tournament in Rio de Janeiro beginning Aug. 6. He was an assistant coach to Hugh McCutcheon at the 2012 Olympics.
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USA TODAY Sports counts down the 100 days to the Rio Olympics with daily stories about athletes, teams and coaches preparing for the Summer Games.
USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal didn’t really have to explain the timing of Karch Kiraly’s contract extension to coach the women’s national volleyball team through 2020.
Kiraly, whose contract extension was announced Thursday, has a record that speaks for itself.
It’s no surprise that Beal wanted Kiraly, 55, as his coach for Rio and beyond.
“We feel frankly honored and very lucky that we’ve been able to secure Karch’s services,” Beal said Thursday on a conference call with reporters. “The job that he’s done up to now in this quad is really exceptional and to be able to have the continuity with someone we value so highly is a huge plus for our program.”
Despite his success with the U.S. team since taking over as head coach in September 2012, Kiraly is only looking ahead to the Olympic tournament in Rio de Janeiro beginning Aug. 6. He was an assistant coach to Hugh McCutcheon at the 2012 Olympics.
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