Two months after her biggest accomplishment in beach volleyball, winning the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Swiss defender Nina Brunner has announced she will take a break from the sport, leaving longtime partner Tanja Hüberli open to new opportunities on the sand.

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The 28-year-old Brunner got married two years ago and believes it’s the right time to pause her career and start a family. She also intends to enjoy time with her family and friends and start preparing for the future of her life, but doesn’t rule out a return to professional beach volleyball at some point.

“I want to devote myself to my dream of having my own family and am happy to now have a little more time for my studies, friends and family,” she announced. “For me, now is the right time and I am infinitely grateful for everything I have been able to experience with Tanja over the past few years. If circumstances allow, I can very well imagine returning to top-level sport after a break. In the meantime, I will of course continue to follow Tanja and wish her lots of energy, joy and success.”

Brunner’s decision leaves the 32-year-old Hüberli as the top option in what has been a busy scene in Swiss women’s beach volleyball, with the country’s top three teams splitting after the Paris Games. The Vergé-Dépré sisters Anouk and Zoé were the first to find new partners, joining forces to attempt to qualify for the LA 2028 Games.

“I have decided to continue playing because I’m still motivated to keep developing and improving,” Hüberli reflected. “I’m really looking forward to a new project, which I’ll be sharing soon. I’m really proud of what Nina and I were able to accomplish together over the last nine years, and even more so that we did it as very good friends, traveling the world together.”

Brunner and Hüberli became partners in 2016 and went to two Olympic together, finishing ninth in Tokyo 2020 and winning bronze in Paris earlier this year. The two also triumphed in two editions of the European Championships, taking gold in 2021 and 2023.

Over the nine years, the Swiss appeared in 89 tournaments as partners, winning six golds, six silvers and nine bronzes. The two triumphed in the last international tournament they played as partners, taking gold at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Hamburg Elite 16, in August.

“When I think back on the last nine years, everything we’ve experienced, the successes we’ve celebrated, what I’ve learned about myself and especially how often we’ve shared moments of laughter as a team, it fills me with immense gratitude,” Brunner added. “I believe we have come further than we ever dreamed at the beginning and I will never forget any of it.”

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