"After last season's cruciate ligament injury, speculation has swirled around when-or if-Marcel Hirscher would return to the World Cup circuit, and whether an Olympic bid for the Netherlands remained possible. On January 9, the Dutch-Austrian ski legend put those questions to rest-and the answer will disappoint many fans. Hirscher confirmed via social media that he will not return to World Cup racing this season. This automatically also means that any Olympic ambitions are shelved, as the qualification period for the 2026 Winter Games ends in less than 10 days."
"Hirscher, an eight-time overall World Cup champion, announced his surprise return to competitive ski racing in July 2024 after a five-year retirement. Thanks to the introduction of a wildcard system by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), he was able to compete on the World Cup circuit during the 2024-25 season under the Dutch flag, reflecting his family ties to the Netherlands. That comeback, however, was cut short in December 2024 when the 36-year-old suffered a torn ACL during giant slalom training."
""The truth is, it's not possible at the moment," Hirscher said. "The speed at which I can ski right now is not worthy of the World Cup. Training with the best in the world was amazing, but it also showed me exactly what it takes-and I'm just not there.""
Marcel Hirscher will not return to World Cup competition this season and therefore cannot qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics, as the qualification period ends in less than ten days. Hirscher had returned to competitive ski racing in July 2024 after a five-year retirement, competing under the Dutch flag via an FIS wildcard. That comeback was interrupted by a torn ACL in December 2024. He resumed cautious on-snow work in September 2025 and trained with top athletes, but concluded his current speed and form are insufficient. A subsequent calf injury paused training, and he will focus on rehabilitation and training rather than racing this season.
Read at SnowBrains
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]