Just two years after her crowning as the first European Queen of the Court, Chantal Laboureur, recognized as one of Europe`s top beach volleyball defenders, has announced the end of her athletic career. This decision comes surprisingly, as she was just two years away from potentially realizing her Olympic dream at the Paris Games.
Chantal Laboureur & Karla Borger celebrate with the Queen of the Court trophy
“It would have been ‘just two years’, but also ‘still two more years’,” the 32-year-old German player revealed, explaining her choice. “I stopped because I felt that private life got more and more important for me and, in the end, I also want to start a family. I can no longer prioritize beach volleyball for another two years.”
Indeed, last month`s inaugural Queen & King of the Court European Finals were among Laboureur`s very last professional tournaments as a beach volleyball player. After she and Karla Borger clinched victory in Utrecht, Laboureur went on to win gold at the 2022 International Military Sports Council Beach Cup in Warendorf alongside Cinja Tillmann. She then played her final two VW Beach Pro Tour events, the Paris Elite16 and the Maldives Challenge, with her last regular partner, Sarah Schulz.
Laboureur & Borger crowned as European Queen of the Court
Laboureur launched her international career approximately 15 years ago. In 2007, she and Levke Spinger graced the sand courts of the CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship in Czechia, ultimately bringing home the continental trophy. The following year, 2008, saw them celebrate as U19 world champions in the Netherlands. Chantal later added two more podium finishes at U23 European Championships to her impressive collection: a bronze in 2011 and a gold in 2012.
The German athlete’s journey on the senior European Tour commenced in 2009. Her first medal at this level, a bronze, was secured at the 2013 Montpellier Satellite alongside Julia Sude. This formidable pair proceeded to win several continental gold medals at the Masters level, triumphing in Biel/Bienne 2014, Baku 2014, Jurmala 2016, and Baden 2017. They also earned a bronze at the 2017 CEV European Championship in Latvia.
“I remember all these very well,” Laboureur recounted. “My first international tournament was the CEV U18 European Championships in Brno 15 years ago, followed by years on the European Tour and the bronze medals at the European Championships in Jurmala with ice hockey fans from Germany cheering for us. I don’t even remember right now how many European Championships I attended, but it felt like a lot.”
Naturally, the memories of her most recent EuroBeachVolley, contested in August of this year on home soil in Munich, are still fresh. Laboureur and Schulz achieved a commendable fifth-place finish in an event Chantal described as having “an outstanding atmosphere.” She also extended a warm message to her youngest partner, exclaiming, “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
Beyond CEV competitions, Laboureur garnered considerable success. She collected two gold, six silver, and three bronze medals on the FIVB World Tour, supplementing these with a silver medal from this year’s inaugural VW Beach Pro Tour. While she came very close to achieving her ultimate goal of competing at the Olympics, she and Sandra Ittlinger unfortunately lost the decisive match at the Tokyo 2020 qualification tournament in China. Laboureur proudly holds three national championship titles in Germany and received the honor of being named Germany’s Player of the Year in 2018. Last year, she also emerged victorious in the German King of the Court tournament.
“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!” Laboureur added. She reflected on the sacrifices inherent in professional athletics: “Beach volleyball gave me so much, but as a professional athlete you have to sacrifice a big part of your social life, for example. We are far from home for many weeks and we can’t attend family life like others do. I love this sport so much and if I could do everything at the same time and the day had 48 hours, I would probably play until I`m 50, but that’s not the case.”
Looking ahead, Laboureur intends to travel for some time. Upon her return, she plans to complete her medical studies, which require one year of practical work, and then aims to start a family. While she is stepping away from competitive play for now, the possibility of her gracefully returning to the sand courts in a different capacity in the future remains open.
Finley Blackwood