In case you didn’t know, Canada’s Sarah Pavan and Heather Bansley have decided to split after the 2016 Olympics. In this article released by the FIVB, Sarah, a 5th place finisher in Rio, reveals the reason of their amicable split.

“Obviously there are many reasons and I really don’t need to get into all of them, but a big one is that the goal is always to win tournaments and be on top of the podium and I really think we kind of maxed out on our capacity as a pair.And in four seasons we were never able to be on top of the podium.” -Sarah

Last night our Olympic journey came to an end with an 0-2 quarterfinal loss to Germany. I have been searching for the right words to adequately express how I am feeling, but I don't think there is any way to put this mix of thoughts and emotions into a coherent paragraph. All I know is this: I am so thankful for the road that lead me here, for the people who have been in my corner since Day 1, and for the opportunity to do what I love while wearing the maple leaf with pride. It wasn't supposed to end this way. It wasn't supposed to hurt this much….But I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you all so much for your cheers and words of encouragement. This experience wouldn't have been the same without all of you 😘

A photo posted by Sarah Pavan (@sarah_pavan) on Aug 15, 2016 at 10:26am PDT

“I think for both of us a switch is the right thing and it will give us an opportunity to try to win on our own with different partners. People might not be able to understand but as an athlete you want to be the best. Maybe we will have a better chance of reaching that goal with different partners. Going through four years and never winning we needed to make a change to try to make that happen.” -Sarah

A photo posted by Sarah Pavan (@sarah_pavan) on Aug 11, 2016 at 9:08pm PDT

Take note, both players decided to split weeks before the Olympics.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Sarah and Heather will now play with different partners at the SWATCH World Tour Finals in Toronto this month. The left handed Pavan will partner with Melissa Humana-Paredes while Bansley start a new journey with Brandie Wilkerson.

Aside from Sarah and Heather no longer following each other on Instagram (or maybe they never followed each other), both teams will FACE each other on September 13th in an elimination match. This should be interesting.

Also, Sarah will head to China to play in the women’s domestic league after the beach season is over.

A photo posted by Sarah Pavan (@sarah_pavan) on Aug 8, 2016 at 11:28am PDT

FIVB IMAGE