| NEWS | BIOGRAPHIES | EVENTS | INSIDE FIS | MARKETING | MEDICAL | |
CROSS-COUNTRY
SKI JUMPING
NORDIC COMBINED
ALPINE SKIING
FREESTYLE SKIING
SNOWBOARD
OTHERS
SPEED SKIING
GRASS SKIING
TELEMARK
MASTERS
CALENDAR
RESULTS
STATISTICS
LIVE TIMING
FIS HISTORY
FIS Newsflash articles 2012-2013
Find your news
Time to say good-bye: Alpine Skiing retirements
The end of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup 2011/12 season saw some of its most respected stars hang up their skis. The retiring athletes included some of the main personalities from the past decades of ski racing.
The FIS World Cup Finals in Schladming represented the last World Cup competition in Anja Pärson's 14-year-long, highly successful career. With 19 medals at title events, 42 World Cup wins, 95 podium places and two overall World Cup victories in 2004 and 2006, Anja Pärson is one of the world's best ever Alpine ski racers.
The renowned Swiss speed specialist Didier Cuche pushed out of the start gate at Schladming Finals for his 369th and last time, after 19 years on the World Cup tour. He already announced his retirement before the 2012 Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel and then went on to win on the Streif for a record 5th time and increase the number of his World Cup victories to 21. Cuche concluded his career with a total of 67 World Cup podiums.
Other athletes to bow down this season from high level skiing include Mario Scheiber (AUT), Ambrosi Hoffmann (SUI), Ana Jelusic (CRO), Aurélie Revillet (FRA), Hans Grugger (AUT), Patrik Staudacher (ITA), Anna Goodman (CAN), Christoph Dreier (AUT) and Patrik Jaerbyn (SWE), just to mention a few.
41-year-old Jaerbyn, winner of the downhill bronze medal at his home Worlds in Are in 2007, retired after more than 20 years of ski racing career. He is the current holder of the record for the oldest podium winner in the Audi FIS Ski World Cup. With Patrik Staudacher, the surprise super-G winner, another Are 2007 medalist announced his retirement.
Meanwhile, Ambrosi Hoffmann called it quits after 16 years of racing. The downhill junior world champion of 1996 scored six World Cup podium results during his career, and 48 top 10 results. His biggest success however was the bronze medal in the super-G at the Olympic Winter Games 2006 in Torino.
29-year-old Mario Scheiber recorded 112 World Cup starts including 13 podiums, but has struggled with knee injuries and decided after this season that the best of his abilities as an alpine racer are behind him now. Similarly Hans Grugger, who sustained severe injuries in a heavy crash during Kitzbühel downhill training in 2011, decided that his racing days are over and that he will focus on his health and stay with skiing as a coach and instructor.
The 25-year-old Croatian slalom specialist Ana Jelusic retired after 10 years on the circuit due to severe asthma that no longer allows her to train and compete professionally at the highest level. FIS is however pleased to welcome Ana to its Alpine team in the role of the Alpine Media Coordinator beginning with the 2012/13 season in Sölden.
As the athletes bid farewell to their competition days, FIS would like to acknowledge these stars for their commitment and contribution to the sport of ski racing and wishes them health and happiness in their future lives.