NIna Brunner: family planning will have to take a break

The former world-class beach volleyball duo Nina Brunner / Tanja Hüberli has resumed training. For Nina Brunner from Steinhausen, it's a family project – her husband Damien and their young daughter are also involved.
 

Nina Brunner's former life as an athlete had little left to offer in terms of surprises. By the time she took a break after the 2024 season, she had already been playing at international level for 13 years, and much of it had become routine. After a season's break, the 30-year-old from Steinhausen is now returning – and a lot is new. She became a mother for the first time in June 2025.

This is a turning point in life in general and in an athlete's career in particular, especially physically. ‘Of course there have been changes. But I'm fascinated by how quickly my body has recovered,’ she says with her usual candour. But her body tension is not yet the same as before. That's why she’s deliberately taken her time returning to competitive sport.

How is her body reacting?
She started training at the base in Bern in mid-October, initially working alone in the gym and on the sand. She has also been training with her partner Tanja Hüberli (33) since the beginning of the year, ‘I felt that it wouldn't be wise to rush things. But I won't know how my body really reacts to the strain until I compete in a tournament,’ she says.

That could be in March, when the first tournaments are scheduled. But Brunner and Hüberli are leaving open when they will actually compete. ‘We're flying to the training camp in February, where we'll decide. What's clear is that we don't want to start too early, but only when we really feel ready,’ she says.

This is also due to the fact that Tanja Hüberli from Schwyz also has to gradually find her way back into competitive sport after a long-term injury. She teamed up with Leona Kernen last season, but had to withdraw from the World Championships for health reasons.

The Olympics come first
There are no World Championships on the agenda this year, but the annual European Championships will take place in Poland in mid-August. Brunner/Hüberli were the best European team in 2021 and 2023, and also reached the final on two more occasions. ‘The European Championships are certainly a good indicator,’ says Nina Brunner. Another clear goal is the top-level home tournament (Elite 16) in Gstaad at the beginning of July. The qualification period for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles begins at the end of the year.

Tanja Hüberli and Nina Brunner after winning the Olympic bronze medal in Paris          Photo: NZZ
Damien Brunner looks after their daughter Mila                  Photo: Instagram screenshot
 

This long-term goal motivated Nina Brunner to make her comeback. Together with Tanja Hüberli, she retired at the top of their game in 2024. Their achievements in the last three competitions before their separation have been impressive: Olympic bronze in Paris, victory at the Elite 16 tournament in Hamburg, Swiss championship title in Bern. At that point, they were ranked third in the world.

Despite her impressive track record, Nina Brunner has little to lose through her return to the sport: everything that lies ahead is a bonus in sporting terms. There is no credibility issue – partly because Nina Brunner has always been open about her break. It was a conscious decision to start a family, but she never ruled out a return.

‘I'm glad I left it open,” she says today. “It would have stressed me out just as much if I had said that I would definitely come back after the birth, or that I would definitely stop.’ But, in this way, she was able to take her time before she was sure and the decision felt right. ‘And it does,’ she adds, explaining: ‘A sports career is very limited in terms of time. I would have found it a shame not to pursue it, especially since the conditions at home are great.’

Second pregnancy will have to wait
She is thereby referring to the tremendous support she receives from her husband Damien Brunner, a former professional ice hockey player (including for the EVZ ice hockey team). ‘It was clear that I would only do it if Damien was behind it,’ says Nina Brunner. He will travel to the tournaments with their daughter Mila. ‘So it's a family project,’ says the athlete happily.

The effects of her return extend far into her private life: while family planning made her career impossible last year, the opposite will be true in the coming years. A second pregnancy is not compatible with her goal of competing in the 2028 Olympic Games. ‘Of course we've talked about it – it's absolutely clear to both of us,’ she says.

Now she feels free enough to get back into sport – and thereby into the surprises that her new ‘double life’ brings with it. This applies not only to her body's reaction to competition mode, but also to her emotional focus during it: ‘In training, I can easily separate being an athlete from being a mother – let's see how it goes in tournaments.’ she says.

In any case, there’s no doubt that she’s confident she can master this too.