Alexandra Shiryayeva

Who is Alexandra Shiryayeva?

Alexandra Alexandrovna Shiryayeva is a 6 ft 2 in, 165 lb, female beach volleyball player from Russia. She claimed the gold medal at the 2006 European Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, partnering with Natalya Uryadova.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she and her partner Natalya Uryadova were defeated in an historical game against Georgia while war was raging between the two countries. In an AP article by Jimmy Golan published on August 13, 2008, Alexandra Shiryayeva showed courage and grace in defeat by declaring “We just want to end the conflict, all the history between us was friendly.”