About
Benjamin was born in a small rural island close to the border of Brazil and Paraguay, his father was in the army and his mother a housewife with 6 children. Benjamin beat all odds and transformed his reality through volleyball.
He left his parents home at 14 years of age, being drafted to play indoor volleyball at a team based on the capital of the state where he was born, Mato Grosso do Sul. He lived with other boys at the campus of the club, 150 miles away from home. With his outstanding performance, Benjamin was soon drafted by bigger teams in other states of the country and became a professional player at the age of 18.
Through indoor volleyball, Benjamin traveled all corners of Brazil. His career was catapulting until a serious injury in 1995 took him out of the courts. He heard from doctors at the time he would never be able to play at a professional level again.
Once again Benjamin beat all odds. He was determined to heal and for more than a year he diligently exercised on the beach, where the impact on his body would be lower. This is when he was introduced to beach volleyball and fell in love with the game.
In 1999, already with Marcio Araújo as his partner, Benjamin was chosen “Rookie of the Year”, finishing 4th in the Brazilian National Tour. In 2000, they were Brazilian National Champions and in 2000 and 2002 Benjamin was elected MVP of the Brazilian National Tour, which at the time included names such as Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego. In 2001, 2002 and 2003, Benjamin & Marcio finished second in the Brazilian National Tour. Benjamin was also awarded Best Spiker and Best Blocker of the Tour in 2002.
Benjamin & Marcio were the first team from Brazil to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where they finished 9th after a disappointing defeat to the Swiss team Martin & Paul Laciga.
Benjamin continued his international beach volleyball career playing in every continent of the world and bringing victories and pride to his home country, Brazil. He played the FIVB Beach Volleyball Tours for impressive 13 years, with a total of 66 podiums and more than USD1.4M in international prizes, including a silver medal at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tours of 2002 and 2003, and a bronze medal at the FIVB World Beach Volleyball Championships of 2003 (World Cup).
Benjamin is father of 5 children, and currently lives with his wife Mariana and stepson Bruno in Naperville, IL.
