Best scorer of the 2015 U23 World Championship in the United Arab Emirates, Pablo Kukartsev has all that it takes to be Argentina’s star opposite in the near future.
The problems with opposites for the South Americans ever since the retirement of the legendary Marcos Milinkovic have been known and widely discussed. We have seen a number of athletes perform in the national team with fluctuating success ever since – Santiago Darraidou, Lucas Chavez, Gustavo Scholtis, Federico Pereyra, Ivan Castellani, Jose Luiz Gonzalez. Even the versatile Facundo Conte has been converted by Julio Velasco to an opposite and yet Argentina still seem to struggle at times. Javier Weber, setter of the national team back in the days of Milinkovic and a former head coach, would have probably achieved a medal position at any of the World League editions in 2009, 2010, or 2011 had it not been for the lack of a decent main scorer. But the search for the new Milinkovic might soon come to an end because an Argentinian youngster of Russian origin has demonstrated great potential.
The 22-year-old Kukartsev, whose both parents used to play volleyball in the Soviet Union, was born in Argentina and is clearly following his parents’ steps as a career choice. Pablo is probably the most gifted opposite across all Argentinian junior divisions and is already training with the senior national team. He was the best scorer and blocker of the 2015 U23 World Championship’s main round where Argentina finished 6th and helped his country to two 7th-place positions at the 2013 U21 and U23 World Championships in Turkey and Brazil respectively.
The 203cm-tall powerful youngster has returned to play for Personal Bolivar, one of Argentina’s top teams, in the 2015-2016 season under the guidance of Javier Weber. It is only a matter of time for Kukartsev to be a regular starter in the championship and the men’s national team.
Pablo Kukartsev
Born: March 25, 1993
Nationality: Argentinian
Position: Opposite
Height: 203 cm
Current club: Personal Bolivar
