Eleonora Lo Bianco

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexFemale
Full nameEleonora•Lo Bianco
Used nameEleonora•Lo Bianco
Nick/petnamesLeo
Born22 December 1979 in Borgomanero, Novara (ITA)
Measurements171 cm / 67 kg
AffiliationsBusto Arsizio, Busto Arsizio (ITA) / Giannino Pieralisi Volley, Jesi (ITA) / Volley Bergamo, Bergamo (ITA) / Galatasaray SK, İstanbul (TUR)
NOC Italy

Biography

Eleonora Lo Bianco was on the Italian volleyball squad at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the first Italian women’s team to compete at the Olympics. With a complete technical knowledge and plenty of charisma, she was among the best Italian setters at a very early age. Selected for all of the Italian youth teams, she won the Euro junior in 1996 and débuted with the Italian senior squad at the age of 19 on 2 June 1998 at the Montreux Volley Masters in a losing match against Brazil (3-0).

After many seasons as a reserve for Maurizia Cacciatori, Leo became a regular player under coach Marco Bonitta and demonstrated all of her talent. After the arrival of coach Massimo Barbolini, Leo held her position of leadership with the national team. At the end of the career, she earned 548 caps from 1998-2016, a record for any Italian team sport, eventually competing in five consecutive Olympic Games, and won the 2002 World Championships in Germany in a squad coached by Marco Bonitta, as well as the 2007 and 2009 European Championships, and the 2007 and 2011 World Grand Prix. Among her palmarés are also two silver medals at the 2001 and 2005 Europeans and at the 2004 and 2005 World Grand Prix, as well four bronze medals in 2006-08 and 2010 and two gold medals at the 2001 and 2009 Mediterranean Games.

In Italian First League Leo débuted in 1999 with Busto Arsizio, and then moved to Olimpia Ravenna (2000-02), Giannino Pieralisi Jesi (2002-05), and Volley Bergamo (2005-2011). With the latter club she won two titles (2006 and 2011), two Italian Cups (2006, 2008) and three European Cups (2007, 2009-10). From 2011 to 2015 she played in Turkey, with three seasons with Galatasaray and one with Fenerbahce, where she won the title and cup. She returned to Italy and, with Volley Bergamo, won the 2016 Italian Cup. She finished the active career in the 2017-18 season with Casalmaggiore.

In 2002 she was a recipient of the title of Knight of the Italy’s Republic and, in 2004, of the Collare d’Oro for sporting merits. In March 2019 she was inducted into the Italian Volleyball Hall of Fame and began a new life with the birth of her daughter Emma in September.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
2000 Summer Olympics Volleyball (Volleyball) ITA Eleonora Lo Bianco
Volleyball, Women (Olympic) Italy =9
2004 Summer Olympics Volleyball (Volleyball) ITA Eleonora Lo Bianco
Volleyball, Women (Olympic) Italy =5
2008 Summer Olympics Volleyball (Volleyball) ITA Eleonora Lo Bianco
Volleyball, Women (Olympic) Italy =5
2012 Summer Olympics Volleyball (Volleyball) ITA Eleonora Lo Bianco
Volleyball, Women (Olympic) Italy =5
2016 Summer Olympics Volleyball (Volleyball) ITA Eleonora Lo Bianco
Volleyball, Women (Olympic) Italy =9

Special Notes