Canadian women’s beach volleyball star Sarah Pavan of Kitchener, Ont., has retired at the age of 38, according to reports CBC Sports on Monday. Pavan is best known for winning the gold medal alongside Canadian Olympic silver medalist Melissa Humana-Paredes of Toronto, Ontario at the 2019 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.
The gold medal was historic as it was one of only two medals Canada has ever won at the Beach Volleyball World Championships and the only time Canada has ever won a gold medal. The other medal came at the 2022 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rome, Italy, when Sophie Bukovec and Canadian Olympic silver medalist Brandie Wilkerson of Toronto won the silver medal. Interestingly, Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes teamed up to win the silver medal 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Pavan also won six gold medals for Canada at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour and two gold medals for Canada at the Commonwealth Games. She won in Gold Coast, Australia in 2018 and in Birmingham, England in 2022.
In addition to Humana-Paredes, Pavan starred alongside Canadians Heather Bansley from London, Ontario, Bukovec and Molly McBain from Toronto. Ahead of the 2020 Tokyo 2021 Olympics, I had the privilege of interviewing Pavan and Humana-Paredes. For the interview please click here.
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