Jorina Baars is just working in her gym at Willemsoord in Den Helder. But the day is not completely normal. Ever since she spread her decision via social media, she has received one message after another. Colleagues, celebrities, the whole world knows where to find her. “No matter what you think, they will call me or send me a message.”
Collages with old photos hang on the wall. The famous wide belts associated with a championship hang above the coffee bar. “These are not all of them yet. One is hanging in the museum in Amsterdam at an exhibition about MMA, Mixed Martial Arts. I must honestly say that they were under my bed for a long time. But now they are hanging here from the ceiling. A much better one. place.”
Forced by injuries
The decision to quit was not an easy one. The 36-year-old boxer, born and raised in Den Helder, mainly suffers from a shoulder injury. “It’s very difficult. You keep putting it off for a month. You start training with the thought: ‘maybe it will get better’. You literally try to get everything done. But then I also got a tendon injury under my foot. , then I thought, ‘when will it stop?’ Maybe this is a signal from my body to stop.”
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