German ski cross racer Simon Stickl has ended his racing career. The 27-year-old athlete, who started with the Ski Club Bad Wiessee and for ten years was part of the squad of the German Ski Federation (DSV) will do no more races from now on. ...
Simon Stickl first competed in alpine skiing moving to ski cross in 2004 and was the first German World Cup winner in this discipline in the history books.
"Several reasons have led to the decision to end my active career as a ski-Crosser" says Simon Stickl. "For several years I struggle increasingly with back problems. The opportunity to start an apprenticeship as a cook was decisive in ending my racing career and instead to accept a new challenge."
His sports career started as an alpine ski racer Simon Stickl. After he made it into the national team at the age of 16 years, he raced mostly slalom and giant slalom races on the FIS level. After a shin injury in 2004 Simon moved from alpine to Ski Cross. "This exciting and the fledgling discipline fascinated me immediately."
Throughout his career in the Ski Cross Simon won 18 top-ten finishes in the World Cup. He made history with the first victory of a German Ski Crosser in winter 2010 in the Austrian town of St. Johann. In the Olympic ski cross premiere in Vancouver Simon Stickl went with the number one in the race. In addition to the Olympic Games, Stickl won four Military World Cups. At the German Championships he also won three championships.
Sport will still be important to Stickl in his retirement: "I want to continue to exercise a lot. First, however, I look forward to my training as a chef."
DSV sports director Wolfgang Maier: "With Simon Stickl retiring, Simon was an excellent racer. He established himself in the international elite field of ski cross and retracted a great success for the German SkiTeam. We respect and regret his decision and wish Simon success for the future."
DSV Press Release
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