Yvonne Bless - Switzerland's 2026 European Doublette Silver Medalist | Player Profile
Yvonne Bless profile: the Zurich Opera House scenic painter who won 2026 European Championship doublette silver with Corinne Althaus for Pétanque Club Zürich.
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Nationality
All-rounder
Role
Career Achievements
Yvonne Bless - Quick Facts
| Full name | Yvonne Bless |
| Nationality | Switzerland |
| Region | Zürich |
| Profession | Theatermalerin (scenic painter), Zürich Opera House |
| Club | Pétanque Club Zürich (PCZ) |
| European titles | 1 (Women's Doublette silver, 2026) |
From the Zürich Opera House to a European Final
Yvonne Bless's day job is painting scenery for the Zürich Opera House, but on the pétanque terrain she has spent the 2020s building one of the more productive competitive records among Swiss women players. A member of Pétanque Club Zürich (PCZ), she trains regularly with the club's sporting director, Ruedi Wyss, and competes with Obut ATX inox boules. That preparation paid off in 2026 with a European Championship silver medal, the biggest result of her career so far.
Career Overview
Bless's international career traces back further than her 2026 breakthrough. She earned her first call-up to Switzerland's women's triplette squad for the 2022 European Championship in Torrelavega, Spain, though the Swiss team missed the podium (gold went to France, silver to Italy, with Israel and Monaco sharing bronze). The following year she won the Swiss national triplette title with her Pétanque Club Zürich teammates, a result the national federation cited when recalling her to the women's triplette squad for the 2024 European Championship in Santa Susanna, Spain, this time alongside Corinne Althaus, Sylviane Métairon, and Sarah Tribulato. Switzerland again missed the podium (gold: Belgium, silver: Netherlands, bronze shared by Spain and France), but Bless told the federation she was proud to represent Switzerland.
Bless's results through the mid-2020s show a steady rise in other formats too. In November 2023, she reached the final of the Swiss individual precision-shooting championship in Geneva, finishing runner-up to Karin Rudolfs. In February 2025, she won the 32nd Bouchon d'Or Féminin, an international women's triplette tournament held in Montreux, teaming with Sylviane Métairon and Cornelia Staub. That August, partnering Katrin Zumbrunnen, also of PC Zürich, she reached the final of the Swiss national women's doublette championship in Savièse, finishing runner-up to Sylviane Métairon and Emilie Cléré.
Bless's biggest result came in 2026, when she was selected for Swiss Pétanque's women's doublette pairing, alongside Corinne Althaus, at the European Championship in Lorca, Murcia, Spain (18-21 June). The Swiss pair trailed France's Charlotte Darodes and Aurélie Bories 0-6 early in their semifinal before rallying to win 13-6 and reach the final, where host nation Spain completed a home doublette sweep, winning 13-7. It was still Switzerland's strongest women's doublette result at a European Championship in years.
Playing Style and Technique
Public reporting on Bless does not specify a fixed on-court specialization the way it does for dedicated shooters or pointers, and her results across singles precision-shooting, doubles, and triples formats suggest a genuinely all-round game rather than a single specialty. Her partnership with the more pointing-focused Corinne Althaus in the 2026 doublette pairing points to a complementary role alongside her, built through regular training with PCZ's Ruedi Wyss.
Achievements and Honors
- Silver, Women's Doublette, European Championship (Lorca, Spain, 2026), with Corinne Althaus
- Winner, 32nd Bouchon d'Or Féminin international triplette (Montreux, 2025), with Sylviane Métairon and Cornelia Staub
- Runner-up, Swiss national women's doublette championship (Savièse, 2025), with Katrin Zumbrunnen
- Runner-up, Swiss individual precision-shooting championship (Geneva, 2023)
- Champion, Swiss national triplette (2023), with Pétanque Club Zürich teammates
Legacy
Yvonne Bless's rise from a first, podium-less national-team call-up in 2022 to European Championship silver medalist in 2026 reflects the depth of competition inside Pétanque Club Zürich and the German-speaking Swiss pétanque scene more broadly. Alongside doublette partner Corinne Althaus, her 2026 Lorca result stands as one of the strongest showings by a Swiss women's pairing on the continental stage in recent memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Yvonne Bless?
Yvonne Bless is a Swiss pétanque player from Zürich who plays for Pétanque Club Zürich (PCZ). She won silver in women's doublette at the 2026 European Championship in Lorca, Spain, partnering Corinne Althaus.
What did Yvonne Bless win at the 2026 European Championship?
Bless and Corinne Althaus won silver in women's doublette for Switzerland, beating France's Charlotte Darodes and Aurélie Bories 13-6 in the semifinal after trailing 0-6, before losing the final 13-7 to host nation Spain.
What other titles has Yvonne Bless won?
In February 2025, Bless won the 32nd Bouchon d'Or Féminin, an international triplette tournament in Montreux, with teammates Sylviane Métairon and Cornelia Staub. She was also runner-up at the 2025 Swiss national women's doublette championship in Savièse with Katrin Zumbrunnen, and runner-up at the 2023 Swiss individual precision-shooting championship in Geneva, losing the final to Karin Rudolfs. Her 2026 breakthrough built on an earlier international foundation: she won the 2023 Swiss national triplette title with her Pétanque Club Zürich teammates, was first capped for Switzerland's women's triplette squad at the 2022 European Championship in Torrelavega, Spain, and earned a recall to that squad for the 2024 European Championship in Santa Susanna, Spain, alongside Corinne Althaus, Sylviane Métairon, and Sarah Tribulato - though Switzerland missed the podium both times.
What does Yvonne Bless do outside pétanque?
She works as a Theatermalerin (scenic/theatrical painter) at the Zürich Opera House. She plays with Obut ATX inox boules and often trains with PCZ sporting director Ruedi Wyss.
Which club does Yvonne Bless play for?
She plays for Pétanque Club Zürich (PCZ), part of the Secteur Alémanique de Pétanque (SAP), the German-speaking regional association within the national federation, Swiss Pétanque (Fédération Suisse de Pétanque).