Kristina May
Personal information
Full nameKristina Valjas May
NationalityCanadian
Born (1987-06-02) 2 June 1987
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight68 kg (150 lb)
College / UniversityUniversity of Toronto
Beach volleyball information
Current teammate
Years Teammate
2011-16
2017		 Jamie Broder
Taylor Pischke
National team
 Canada

Kristina Valjas May (née Valjas, born 2 June 1987)[1] is a Canadian beach volleyball player. She qualified to compete (along with partner Jamie Broder) at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2] They advanced to the round of 16 until they were eliminated, finishing in a tie for ninth place.[3]

Life and career

Valjas was born on 2 June 1987 to parents who both played varsity volleyball in university. Growing up, she competed in mountain biking and cross-country skiing. She is the older sister of skier Len Väljas.[3] Like her parents, she played university volleyball for the Toronto Varsity Blues, before transitioning to beach volleyball, where in 2010 she became part of the national team.[4] Valjas formed a double with Jamie Broder in 2011, and went on to win NORCECA continental titles in 2013 and 2015.[3]

In April 2015, Valjas and Broder won an FIVB World Tour medal, becoming the first Canadian female athletes to do so.[3]

In October 2016, she married John May, and adopted his surname.[5] In 2017, May started a new team with Taylor Pischke.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Kristina May". FIVB.org. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2016.
  2. ↑ Hossain, Asif (11 June 2016). "Three beach volleyball teams earn Olympic berths". Olympic.ca. Canadian Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2016. Kristina Valjas
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Kristina Valjas". Olympic.ca. Canadian Olympic Committee. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Toronto to Rio: Kristina Valjas hits the beach this week with hopes of an Olympic medal". Postcity.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "Bio". KristinaValjas.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  6. ↑ "CANADA'S TAYLOR PISCHKE OPTIMISTIC AFTER 0-3 START WITH NEW PARTNER". Volleymob.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017. Kristina May (formerly Kristina Valjas)


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