Lausanne, Switzerland, September 23, 2016 - Isabelle Forrer, the beach volleyball player that has been carrying the Swiss flag high for well over a decade, calls it quits, wrapping up a career that has seen the medals flow in ever since her first international success in 2000 in Nuremberg.
The 34-year-old sums it all up brilliantly in one sentence: "It was a wonderful trip that I started at the U20 European Championship in 2000 with a silver medal and now finish with a bronze at the FIVB World Tour Final in Toronto, 16 years later."
Isabelle Forrer digs low on her way to bronze at the FIVB World Tour Finals in Toronto this year.In between the silver in Nuremberg and the bronze in Toronto, Forrer has collected a wealth of medals and titles - not least a silver at the 2002 FIVB U21 World Championship in Catania, at the start of her international career.
This year has been especially important in Forrer's career, allowing the St Gallen-born player to finish her playing career on a high.
With teammate Anouk Vergé-Dépré, Forrer claimed 9th place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, before clinching the Swiss national title for the second year running (and third overall) in Bern and then picking up the bronze medal at the FIVB World Tour Finals in Toronto.
Earlier in the season, the pair had won their first ever World Tour gold, at the Xiamen Open.
Isabelle Forrer on Copacabana Beach at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games."It's definitely best to stop when one is at a peak," says Forrer. "And that is the reason why I now withdraw from competitive sports. With Anouk I experienced the most successful years of my career. It was a long, wonderful journey and school of life with all its privileges."
For the time being, Forrer, a qualified physiotherapist, plans to take it easy. "I now look forward to spending more time with my family and friends," she says.
Related links:-
Isabelle Forrer / Anouk Vergé-Dépré official website-
Isabelle Forrer profile on fivb.com