The boundless world of the Italian volleyball queen: with Russian parents, born in Iceland, she’s been Italian since the summer of 2023. Now she’s being courted by Turkish clubs. But her first days in our country weren’t easy

Love at first sight isn’t always the right one: Ekaterina Antropova, born in Iceland to Russian parents, knows this all too well. Her mother Olga, who played handball as a goalkeeper, took her to the gym for the first time when she was seven, introducing her to volleyball. But between sore arms and a few too many shouts from the coach, Kate wasn’t enthusiastic—quite the opposite. She was actually thinking more about a future in rhythmic gymnastics. “Instead, today volleyball is my life.” And what about her move to Italy as a teenager in 2017? A new language, a new school, everything around her was new, and she vented to her mom: “Enough, I can’t take it anymore—let’s pack our bags and go home.” We all 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 Championship gold medals while wearing the Italian national team 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 star. Kate could undoubtedly have excelled in an individual sport as well, 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 challenges together. Those who know her well are certain that Antropova best identifies with the quote attributed to Albert Einstein: “The mind is like a parachute; it only works if it’s open.” It’s no coincidence that she lives in the Scandicci area and that, whenever she can, she loves taking long walks in the hills around her home. But she also likes to venture into downtown Florence in search of hidden corners. To explore, 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 with a degree in International Relations for Marketing in Prato, with a grade of 87/100. Her journey in Italy had begun in Reggio Calabria: she and her mother, Olga, had been 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 developed her volleyball skills before moving to Scandicci in the summer of 2021.

Passion—  She now speaks Italian without any Russian accent, like a native speaker. And in addition to Italian and Russian, she’s quite fluent in Spanish, English, and German. As her mother Olga explained, Kate speaks and thinks in different languages depending on the context. She herself has admitted that Italian takes over when she’s angry, because it’s a more expressive language. Will she end up learning Turkish as well? Who knows. In the meantime, however, the reference is no coincidence: Alessia Orro and Myriam Silla, her teammates on the national team, have moved to play in Turkey, and it seems likely that Antropova will do the same starting in the 2026–2027 season. The offer from Eczacibasi—coached by Giulio Cesare Bregoli—(rumored to be between 1.5 and 1.8 million euros) is said to have convinced her. But there will be time to talk about it and think it over: Kate plays for Scandicci and has just conquered the world—along with her club. All this at not even 23 years old—she’ll turn 23 on March 19—it’s never too early for someone with a talent as brilliant as hers.