Belgium women’s national team will have to face the 2024 international season and the following ones without their captain as outside hitter Celine Van Gestel surprisingly announced her volleyball retirement.
One of the faces of her country’s national team for the most part of the last decade, the 26-year-old player is ready to start a new life outside the courts after several years of full dedication to the sport.
In an interview with Belgian website Nieuwsblad, Van Gestel revealed that the possibility of ending her career has been in the back of her mind for quite some time and that she ultimately made the decision to experience life outside the sport.
“I understand that this decision will be surprising to the outside world and to people who don't know me, but it is certainly not surprising to my intimates,” she reflected. “They know that I have been thinking about this step for years. All the time I kept asking myself: 'Is this really what I want?'. So I have thought about it carefully and discussed it in detail with those close to me or with teammates, who have since become friends. Some understood it, others had a more difficult time. National coach Kris Vansnick gave me time to think about it.”
A six-time Belgian champion, Van Gestel has been playing outside her home country since 2019, having spent two seasons in Germany, including the last one with Ladies in Black Aachen, and three in Italy, with Il Bisonte Firenze.
