German Maria Hoefl-Riesch retired Thursday, ending one of the greatest recent careers in Alpine skiing.
“My decision is to end my career now,” she said, according to The Associated Press.
Hoefl-Riesch, 29, won four Olympic medals and six World Championships medals. She finished in the top three of the World Cup overall standings each of the last seven seasons, including winning the title over friendly rival Lindsey Vonn in 2010-11.
Hoefl-Riesch said at the Sochi Olympics she would not ski at the Olympics in 2018. She crashed at the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on March 12, ending her season prematurely.
Hoefl-Riesch, who was leading the World Cup overall standings when she crashed, finished second to Austria’s Anna Fenninger overall and won the downhill crystal globe.
Hoefl-Riesch’s versatility is apparent from her Olympic medals. She won gold in 2010 in the super combined and the slalom, gold in 2014 in the super combined and silver in Sochi in the super-G.
“One should quit when it’s the best and that [Sochi] was the best that could have happened to me,” Hoefl-Riesch said, according to the AP. ""The first gut feeling after the Olympics and the gold medal was to retire on that success.
“It was a dream-like career, I was at the top in all disciplines over the years.”
Hoefl-Riesch, Vonn and Tina Maze have been the class of women’s Alpine skiing over the last two Olympic cycles, following the retirement of Janica Kostelic and Anja Paerson finishing her career.
Vonn, 29 like Hoefl-Riesch, plans to return to skiing next season following knee surgeries. Maze, 30, has said she will not ski at the next Olympics but hasn’t said when she will retire.
@Maria is retiring! :( She was a fierce competitor in all disciplines and I'm proud to call her a friend. Congrats on an amazing career! Xo
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) March 20, 2014