Eric Sato
American volleyball player (born 1966)
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Eric Anthony Sato (born May 5, 1966) is an American former volleyball player and two-time Olympian. Sato was a member of the United States national volleyball team that won the gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.[1] He also played in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and won a bronze medal.[1] He was a defensive specialist, and was widely considered to be the best defensive player in the world.[1][2] After the Olympics, he played professional beach volleyball.[1]
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
| Eric Sato | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Eric Anthony Sato | ||
| Born | May 5, 1966 (age 59) Santa Monica, California, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| College / University | Pepperdine University | ||
| Volleyball information | |||
| Position | Defensive specialist | ||
| Number | 11 (1988) 14 (1992) | ||
| National team | |||
| |||
Medal record | |||
Though 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) in height, Sato's 41 in (1.0 m) vertical jump allowed him to be an effective spiker for the national team, including from the back row.[3]
College
Sato played college volleyball at Pepperdine University.[1]
Personal life
Sato's sister Liane played volleyball with the United States women's national team in both the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics, capturing a bronze medal in 1992.[4][5][6] For the Sato family, a capstone was the 1988 Olympics, when Eric and Liane were both competing, and their brother Gary was a coach on the men's volleyball team.[4]