BERLIN: Former Olympic giant slalom champion Viktoria Rebensburg announced her retirement from downhill skiing Tuesday, explaining in a video message that she no longer feels she can compete at the top level.
“Today is definitely not easy for me, after 13 years (competing) to end my career with immediate effect,” said the 30-year-old in a video on Twitter.
“I made this decision with a heavy heart and after much consideration,” because “I realised from my last few ski training sessions that I can no longer reach my top level”.
Winning women’s giant slalom gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was the pinnacle of her career and Rebensburg also took bronze in the same event four years later at the Sochi Olympics.
The German won silver medals in the giant slalom at both the 2015 and 2019 world championships held in Vail, Colorado, and Are, Sweden, respectively.
However, Rebensburg bows out on a high, seven months after capturing the only downhill win of her career when she won the women’s World Cup race on home soil in Garmisch-Partenkirchen last February.
“With the memory of my last race and downhill victory in Garmisch, it is a nice moment to leave the winter sport stage.”
Rebensburg claimed the last of her three World Cup overall giant slalom titles in 2018.
She won a total of 19 races – 14 giant slalom, four super-G and one downhill – on the World Cup circuit, earning 49 podium finishes.