PORTRAITS:

May 2004
ISABELLE STOEHR:
NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE!
At 25, ranked 13 in the world (the highest French lady player ever), Isabelle carries the French hopes everywhere she goes.

And it’s heavy to carry sometimes. Her coach, Jean Luc Bonetat (father of the former French marvel Julien, the first French player to get in the top 15) is more than a coach. When Isabelle’s mother died when Isabelle was a teenager, he and his wife Marie (owners of the brilliant Squash des Carnaux, in Tours, who saw so many international tournaments, formed so many French players, even me!) took her under their wing, advised her to stop squash for a while in view of passing her commercial diploma to ensure her future after her sporting career. And then, Isabelle came back, with a vengeance.

A few weeks ago, Isabelle got injured while playing against Rebecca Macree in Chicago, and had to retire. She could hardly move her right arm, and did the preparation for the event with the French Team in great pain.

Isaballe Stoehr enjoys a rest ...“Three days ago, I couldn’t hit the ball”,  the French player told me. “But I had to play for the team, I had to do it, but I’m out of matches. I did a lot of physical preparation, but I haven’t played any matches since Chicago”.

Yes, the pressure was immense, but the little girl (for me, that’s who she is, a little shrimp that used to run everywhere in the club, entering all the empty courts she could find to play with a racquet far too heavy for her) delivered. And how! Her last victory against Kim Hannes (Belgium) in 4 games gave France her first 3rd place in the European Teams event.

Thank you Isabelle.


 
   

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