After winning the Olympic diploma together with Zoé Vergé-Dépré, beach volleyball player Esmée Böbner is retiring from top-class sport. The 24-year-old from Lucerne wants to refocus.
23.08.2024, 10:28
SDA
"The decision was an ongoing process that led to the conclusion that my fire no longer burns for top-class sport. However, this is essential for me in order to motivate myself to perform at my best every day," Böbner was quoted as saying in a statement from the Swiss Volleyball Association. Instead, she now wants to devote herself to studying in the health sector.
Her playing partner Zoé Vergé-Dépré, on the other hand, will continue her career. New team formations will be discussed with the association in the coming weeks. The option of a sister team is also likely to be analyzed. Like her sister, who is six years younger, 32-year-old Anouk Vergé-Dépré is also looking for a new team-mate after eight years together with Joana Mäder.
Before that, Böbner and Vergé-Dépré will compete in their last tournament together next week at the Swiss Championships in Bern. The duo have celebrated several successes this year: first, they beat Anouk Vergé-Dépré/Joana Mäder, the bronze medallists from Tokyo 2021, in the Olympic qualifiers. In Paris, the Olympic debutants then advanced to the quarter-finals. They then went on to win a medal at the European Championships in the Netherlands, where Böbner and Vergé-Dépré secured bronze.
