Volleyball players De Kruijf and Beliën stop after a total of 608 international matches at the Dutch national team
Volleyball players Robin de Kruijf (30) and Yvon Beliën (28) stop as internationals at Orange. The middle blockers did not make themselves available for the national team in 2021 for various reasons. Now the two have made the decision to stop permanently.
"Last summer I got a taste of life outside of volleyball," explains De Kruijf. "I want to taste more of that. But I will stop with pain in my heart. I would have liked to make my contribution to the team. But I have now made the choice for myself."
Kruijf and Beliën therefore miss the Volleyball World Cup, which will be held this year in the Netherlands and Poland. For both players, the decision to retire was therefore not an overnight decision.
"I doubted for a very long time whether to participate in the World Cup, because it is in my own country," says Beliën. "But in the end it didn't convince me to put everything aside for a whole summer. It will of course be a super cool tournament, but for me it weighs more heavily to divide my free time differently."
mainstays Beliën made her debut for the Orange squad in 2013 and eventually made 261 appearances for the Dutch team. She won silver twice at the European Championships, in 2015 and 2017. In addition, Beliën was a basic player during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where the Netherlands finished in fourth place.
De Kruijf was also part of that successful team. Since her debut in 2008, she has become one of the mainstays of the national team, eventually played no fewer than 347 international matches and won three silver medals at the European Championships.
Both De Kruijf and Beliën will remain active at club level. De Kruijf has been under contract with the Italian Conegliano since 2016, with whom she won the Champions League last year. Beliën is currently also active in Italy and plays for Il Bisonte Firenze.
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Volleyball players De Kruijf and Beliën stop after a total of 608 international matches at Orange
Volleyball players De Kruijf and Beliën stop after a total of 608 international matches at the Dutch national team
Volleyball players Robin de Kruijf (30) and Yvon Beliën (28) stop as internationals at Orange. The middle blockers did not make themselves available for the national team in 2021 for various reasons. Now the two have made the decision to stop permanently.
"Last summer I got a taste of life outside of volleyball," explains De Kruijf. "I want to taste more of that. But I will stop with pain in my heart. I would have liked to make my contribution to the team. But I have now made the choice for myself."
Kruijf and Beliën therefore miss the Volleyball World Cup, which will be held this year in the Netherlands and Poland. For both players, the decision to retire was therefore not an overnight decision.
"I doubted for a very long time whether to participate in the World Cup, because it is in my own country," says Beliën. "But in the end it didn't convince me to put everything aside for a whole summer. It will of course be a super cool tournament, but for me it weighs more heavily to divide my free time differently."
mainstays
Beliën made her debut for the Orange squad in 2013 and eventually made 261 appearances for the Dutch team. She won silver twice at the European Championships, in 2015 and 2017. In addition, Beliën was a basic player during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where the Netherlands finished in fourth place.
De Kruijf was also part of that successful team. Since her debut in 2008, she has become one of the mainstays of the national team, eventually played no fewer than 347 international matches and won three silver medals at the European Championships.
Both De Kruijf and Beliën will remain active at club level. De Kruijf has been under contract with the Italian Conegliano since 2016, with whom she won the Champions League last year. Beliën is currently also active in Italy and plays for Il Bisonte Firenze.
https://nos.nl/artikel/2417889-volleybalsters-de-kruijf-en-belien-stoppen-na-in-totaal-608-interlands-bij-oranje
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