Fresh off her historic coronation as the inaugural European Queen of the Court, Chantal Laboureur, one of Europe`s premier beach volleyball defenders, has announced her retirement from professional sports. This decision comes just two years shy of the Paris Olympic Games, where she might have pursued her ultimate Olympic aspiration.
Chantal Laboureur & Karla Borger celebrate with the Queen of the Court trophy
Explaining her decision to cev.eu, the 32-year-old German athlete noted, “It would have been ‘just two years’, but also ‘still two more years’.” She elaborated, “I decided to stop because my private life has increasingly taken precedence. Ultimately, I wish to start a family and can no longer dedicate the next two years solely to beach volleyball.”
The recent inaugural Queen & King of the Court European Finals marked one of Laboureur’s final professional appearances. Following her victory with Karla Borger in Utrecht, Laboureur secured another gold at the 2022 International Military Sports Council Beach Cup in Warendorf, partnered with Cinja Tillmann. She concluded her competitive journey with her last regular partner, Sarah Schulz, at the Paris Elite16 and Maldives Challenge events of the VW Beach Pro Tour.
Laboureur & Borger crowned as European Queen of the Court
Laboureur`s international career began approximately 15 years ago. In 2007, alongside Levke Spinger, she won the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship in Czechia. The duo continued their success, becoming U19 world champions in the Netherlands in 2008. Chantal further enriched her medal collection with a bronze in 2011 and a gold in 2012 at the U23 European Championships.
She joined the senior European Tour in 2009, earning her first medal—a bronze—at the 2013 Montpellier Satellite with Julia Sude. This partnership flourished, securing multiple continental gold medals at the Masters level in Biel/Bienne (2014), Baku (2014), Jurmala (2016), and Baden (2017). They also claimed bronze at the 2017 CEV European Championship in Latvia.
“I remember all these moments vividly. My journey began with the CEV U18 European Championships in Brno 15 years ago, leading to years on the European Tour and earning bronze at the European Championships in Jurmala, with passionate German ice hockey fans cheering us on. I can’t even recall how many European Championships I participated in, but it certainly felt like many.”
Her most recent EuroBeachVolley, held in August in her home city of Munich, remains a fresh memory. Laboureur and Schulz secured a fifth-place finish in an event Chantal described as having “an outstanding atmosphere.”
She expressed heartfelt appreciation for her youngest partner, Sarah: “Big hug to my youngest partner Sarah, by the way! She is one of the kindest players and persons I know!”
Laboureur in action at EuroBeachVolley 2022
Laboureur`s success extended beyond CEV competitions. On the FIVB World Tour, she amassed an impressive record of two gold, six silver, and three bronze medals, alongside a silver from this year’s inaugural VW Beach Pro Tour. While she narrowly missed her ultimate Olympic dream, losing the decisive qualifying match for Tokyo 2020 with Sandra Ittlinger in China, she holds three German national championship titles and was named Germany’s Player of the Year in 2018. Last year, she also triumphed in the German King of the Court tournament.
Reflecting on her career, Laboureur stated, “So many great memories! And so many great tournaments! I really enjoyed the time and I want to thank everybody who was or still is involved in making us players have a good time!” She acknowledged the sacrifices: “Beach volleyball gave me so much, but as a professional athlete, you have to sacrifice a significant portion of your social life. We spend many weeks away from home, unable to participate in family life as others do. I adore this sport so much; if I could manage everything simultaneously and if a day had 48 hours, I would likely play until I’m 50, but that’s simply not feasible.”
Regarding her future plans, she shared, “Now I will travel for some time and, upon my return, I will complete my medical studies (I have one year of practical work left) and look forward to starting a family.”
It remains to be seen if, in due course, she might make a graceful return to the sand courts in a different capacity.
