Surprise withdrawal for Matthias Mayer

Surprise retreat in the White Circus

Lightning strike in the world of Alpine skiing: on the morning of Thursday, December 29, in fact, three-time Olympic champion Matthias Mayer announced his retirement. The Austrian made his decision, which will take immediate effect, known from Bormio, where he is because he was supposed to compete in Thursday’s Super G, in which, however, he will not take part due to a gastrointestinal infection.

Over the course of his career, the 32-year-old Mayer has hit 45 World Cup podiums, with 11 victories. His greatest successes, however, have come in the five-ring events; in fact, he took gold in Sochi 2014 in the downhill race and then gold in the super-giant at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022.

“I just did my last recce. There is no main reason, I simply don’t have the bite anymore. I’ve been thinking about it for the last few days and it’s time to quit,” the Austrian skier’s sudden statement to reporters present in Bormio.