German alpine ski racer Stefan Luitz ends career
Germany's Stefan Luitz competes for the DSV during the Mixed Team competition of the Alpine Skiing World Championship. Luitz is ending his career, the 33-year-old said on Thursday. Michael Kappeler/dpa
German alpine ski racer Stefan Luitz is ending his career, the 33-year-old said on Thursday.
"It's hard to write these words. Competitive sport has shaped me - as an athlete, but also as a person," he wrote on Instagram.
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"I was able to celebrate achievements that I could hardly have dreamed of as a child: 10 World Cup podiums, including one victory, world championship team medals, Olympic participation and thrilling duels at the highest level," he said.
Luitz competed primarily in giant slalom, the discipline in which he claimed his only World Cup win.
Throughout his career, he had to battle with injuries, including several cruciate ligament ruptures.
"Moments that required more mental strength than physical strength. But that's exactly what made this journey so intense," he wrote.
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