Sarah Pavan, a two-time Olympian who won multiple volleyball gold medals for Canada at world championships and Commonwealth Games, retired on Monday at age 38.
Pavan narrowly missed qualifying for the Paris Games this past summer in beach volleyball.
“Volleyball has always been so much more than a sport to me. It has been my social circle, my safe space, my classroom, my vehicle of self-expression, my career and my first love,” she said in a statement released by Toronto-based Contender Communications & Consulting.
“I wouldn’t be who I am without this game, and it has been a true honour to have been able to call myself a volleyball player for the last 30 years.”
The Kitchener, Ont., native will continue to oversee Next LVL Consulting, which supports young volleyball athletes during the recruiting process to pursue NCAA scholarships.
In 2013, Pavan decided to compete internationally in beach volleyball, becoming the first established professional indoor player to make the change.
She went on to win a world title in 2019 with then-partner Melissa Humana-Paredes and competed at the Olympics in Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2021).
In Tokyo, they went undefeated in pool play, winning every set. They were eventually eliminated in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 loss to Australians Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy.
Made volleyball history at 16
Pavan and Humana-Paredes ended their beach volleyball partnership in August 2022, one month after capturing their second Commonwealth title. They also won gold at 2019 worlds and climbed the Beach Volleyball World Tour podium numerous times, including winning the Jurmala Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 tournament in 2022.
Pavan began playing indoor volleyball at 10 and four years later made the Canadian national junior indoor team.
As a 16-year-old, she made history as the youngest woman to be selected for the national indoor team before heading to the University of Nebraska.
Pavan won a 2006 NCAA indoor title and later was one of only six women to be a four-time First Team All-American. In 2007, she was named female student-athlete of the year.
A recipient of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the year award in 2007 and 2008, Pavan graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
She joined the Canadian national team and played professionally for over 10 years in Europe, South America and Asia.
Pavan wants to stay connected to volleyball and plans to pursue sports media opportunities and broadcasting as an analyst.
