One of the best ski racers ever is returning to the slopes.
Yesterday, Marcel Hirscher announced that he is unretiring from ski racing. Marcel retired in September 2019 but has remained active in the skiing community. The Associated Press reports that he will begin competing again in New Zealand this August in the lower tiers of ski racing to qualify for the 2024-25 FIS ski season.
As part of Hirscher’s Instagram video announcement, Marcel explained why he’s returning to the World Cup circuit.
“For people asking, why are you doing this, for me it’s clear — because the joy of skiing never left, it’s just so much fun for me.”
Probably the most stunning part of this announcement is that he is switching allegiances. Marcel, who raced for Austria throughout his career, will now represent the Netherlands. There are a few reasons behind the switch. First, his mother was born in the Netherlands. Second, his skiing brand, Van Deer, is not an approved ski for the Austrian ski federation. The Netherlands will allow him to compete with Van Deers.
Marcel’s skiing legacy is already immense, as he’s arguably the best male skier of all time. He’s won 67 World Cup races, second all-time in Men’s ski racing to Ingemar Stenmark, who amassed 86 victories. He’s won three Olympic medals, two of which were Gold. Arguably, Marcel’s most impressive accomplishment was the time he dodged a drone.
The Netherlands has had success in winter sports, especially skating, but skiing isn’t a strong suit. The country is home to some indoor and dry ski slopes but is regarded as flat. One snowsports success story for the Nethaldns came from Nicolien Sauerbreij, who won Gold in parallel giant slalom snowboarding at the Vancouver 2010 Games.
Frits Avis, who’s the general director of the Dutch skiing association, described his excitement about Marcel joining his team:
“Marcel is a global icon and an inspiration for all skiers and winter sports enthusiasts in the Netherlands. We hope that this will boost interest and enthusiasm for winter sports in our already winter sports-crazy country.”
The Austrian federation released the following statement:
“[We] tried very hard to offer Marcel the best possible and individual conditions. We very much regret his decision to request a change of nation to the Dutch Ski Association but in the end we supported it.”
If you want to take a trip down memory lane, this video from Mattia Garrasi shows his 67 World Cup circuit victories. I imagine Marcel’s got at least one more in him.
Image/Video Credits: Red Bull (Featured Image), Marcell Hirscher, Mattia Garrasi
