The boundless world of the blue queen of volleyball: Russian parents, born in Iceland, she has been Italian since the summer of 2023. Now she is being courted by Turkish clubs. But her first days in our country were not easy.

Love at first sight is not always the right choice: Ekaterina Antropova, born in Iceland to Russian parents, knows this perfectly well. Her mother Olga, who played handball as a goalkeeper, took her to the gym for the first time at the age of seven, introducing her to volleyball. But between her aching arms and the coach’s excessive shouting, Kate was not enthusiastic, quite the contrary. She was thinking more about a future in rhythmic gymnastics. “Instead, today volleyball is my life.” And what about moving to Italy as a teenager in 2017? A new language, a new school, everything around her was new, and she vented to her mother: “That’s it, I can’t do this, let’s pack our bags and go home.” We know what happened next: she swore allegiance to our Constitution in August 2023 in Scandicci, and between 2024 and 2025 she won Olympic and world gold medals wearing the blue jersey. And now, the first Club World Championship in Scandicci’s history.

Antropova—whose father was also an athlete, a center in basketball—does what champions like her do: she pushes boundaries and makes history. Firsthand. As a protagonist. Kate could undoubtedly have excelled in an individual sport, but she chose differently because she has always been fascinated by the concept of sharing: experiencing victories and defeats, joys and sorrows, moments of lightheartedness and serious confrontations together. Those who know her well are certain that Antropova can best be recognized in the quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “The mind is like a parachute; it only works if it is open.” It is no coincidence that she lives in the Scandicci area and, whenever she can, loves to take long walks in the hills around her home. But she also ventures into the center of Florence in search of unknown corners. To learn, to discover. Reading new things. For example, she had dedicated 2024 to Russian classics, such as Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita.” And she graduated in International Relations for Marketing in Prato, with a grade of 87/100. Her Italian journey began in Reggio Calabria: she and her mother Olga were hosted by a former volleyball player, Dina Yakasanova. Then, thanks to the advice of Giovanni Caprara and his wife Irina Kirillova, they turned to Carmelo Borruto in Sassuolo, and it was there that Kate grew up playing volleyball before arriving in Scandicci in the summer of 2021.

Passion—  She now speaks Italian without any Russian accent, like a native speaker. In addition to Italian and Russian, she is also fluent in Spanish, English, and German. As her mother Olga explained, Kate speaks and thinks in different languages depending on the content. She herself admitted that Italian prevails when she is angry, because it is a more expressive language. Will she end up learning Turkish too? Who knows. In the meantime, however, the reference is not accidental: Alessia Orro and Myriam Silla, her teammates on the national team, have moved to play in Turkey, and from 2026-2027 it seems that Antropova will do the same. The offer from Eczacibasi—coached by Giulio Cesare Bregoli—(rumored to be between €1.5 and €1.8 million) seems to have convinced her. But there will be time to talk about it and think about it: Kate plays for Scandicci and has just taken the world by storm—along with the club. All this at not even 23 years of age, which she will turn on March 19: it is never too early for someone with her crystal-clear talent.