World Champ at 31 Stuns with Resignation Ahead of the Olympics
Stephanie Venier Retires as Super-G World Champion
Stephanie Venier, the Super-G World Champion, recently announced her retirement from alpine skiing. At 31, she cited persistent knee issues, waning motivation, and the high demands of elite sport as key reasons for stepping away.
Venier's career in skiing spanned 13 years, during which she amassed an impressive list of achievements. She won three World Cup victories and twelve podium places, including two downhill wins and one Super-G. Her most recent triumph came six months ago at the World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, where she clinched the Super-G gold.
In addition to her Super-G victory, Venier also won bronze in the team combination with Katharina Truppe at the 2021 World Championships. Her earlier World Championship medals include silver, which she won in 2017 at the World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Despite the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, Venier felt it was the right time to retire from racing. She expressed her satisfaction with winning a gold and a bronze medal at the home World Championships in Saalbach. The announcement was made on the website of the Austrian Ski Association, of which Venier is a member.
Venier had been contemplating retirement "for some time" and found that the deep will and determination she expected from herself had diminished in recent months. She emphasized leaving while still healthy and fulfilled, looking forward to new chapters in life, including her recent engagement to fellow skier Christian Walder.
Additional contributing factors included dissatisfaction with conditions within the Austrian women's team and criticism of the head coach's management style, although she did not focus on this publicly when announcing her retirement.
Venier's future plans appear to focus on new life chapters beyond competitive skiing rather than continuing in the sport competitively. She leaves the sport with a very successful farewell, having won the Super-G World Championship on home snow.
Stephanie Venier, despite her recent retirement from alpine skiing, remained a Super-G World Champion throughout her 13-year career. In her illustrious journey, she secured three World Cup victories, including a gold in Super-G at the 2021 World Championships.
