Hirscher before changing nations
Record winner is apparently planning a sensational comeback on skis
April 24, 2024, 7:59 a.m
Five years after retiring, Marcel Hirscher apparently wants to get back on the slopes. The former ski dominator from Austria is even said to be changing nations.
A sensational comeback is apparently on the horizon in alpine skiing. As media from Austria and Switzerland report, the eight-time overall World Cup winner Marcel Hirscher is planning a return to the slopes. He was the dominator of the ski world, winning the overall World Cup eight times in a row from 2011 to 2019 – more often than anyone else.
After his active career, he founded his own ski brand. Among others, his long-time competitor Henrik Kristoffersen from Norway rides with them. Hirscher’s return would of course also be a coup for his company.
The 35-year-old doesn’t want to make his comeback for Austria, but for the Netherlands, his mother’s home country. According to the Austrian “Krone”, the reason is that he doesn’t want to take away anyone’s starting position in Austria. The Austrian Ski Association must agree to the change of nation. The Netherlands is not known as an alpine ski nation.
Hirscher drove his last race in 2019. In his career, in addition to eight overall World Cup titles, he won seven World Cup and two Olympic gold medals and celebrated 67 individual World Cup victories. According to information from the Swiss daily newspaper “Blick”, the two-time Olympic champion plans to collect ranking points in New Zealand in the summer so that he can then attack in the World Cup.
Hirscher would be the second well-known ski racer to make his comeback. In March, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen announced that he would return to the World Cup. He had only recently resigned due to a dispute with the Norwegian association. In the future, Braathen will drive for Brazil, like Hirscher’s mother’s home country.