The 31-year-old announced the end of his career on social networks. With 53 victories, the Tyrolean is the most successful jumper in history.
In the last few years it has become more and more quiet around Gregor Schlierenzauer. So quiet that inevitably voices were raised that the best ski jumper in World Cup history would soon end his career.
After he, who had outshone ski jumping for years as a figure of light and superstar, was only a shadow of himself last winter and with eight World Cup points at the end of the season appeared in 65th place.
After suffering the second serious knee injury of his career in February (partial rupture of the anterior left cruciate ligament).
After he finally no longer appeared in the official squad of the Austrian Ski Association in the spring and the collaboration with his head sponsor also came to an end.
On Tuesday morning it became official what many had already suspected and what some ski jumping insiders have known for weeks. The best ski jumper in World Cup history will stay on the ground and end his career.
This step was only a matter of time. A question of the right time and the right words. Gregor Schlierenzauer, the man who always made big headlines, did not choose the huge stage, but chose the quiet path. He said goodbye almost through the back door via social networks.
“My fire, which has always burned completely for the sport, is now burning for new tasks that are there and that are waiting for me. I am opening this new chapter with passion, I am full of zest for action and curiosity,” says Schlierenzauer in his blog .
31 years is not an age to end your ski jumping career. The Pole Kamil Stoch, with 39 World Cup victories the first pursuer of record man Schlierenzauer (53 successes), who is still active, has 34 years under his belt and is still one of the stars of the scene. Simon Ammann, the four-time Olympic champion from Switzerland and one of Schlierenzauer's greatest competitors for years, turned 40 in the summer and is still jumping over the hills. “The joy of ski jumping is still great,” says the veteran.
In recent years, Gregor Schlierenzauer no longer gave the impression that ski jumping was always great fun for him. The longer his career lasted, the more the serial winner, long range hunter and high flyer was demoted to a normal ski jumper. The gap between his high standards and reality grew noticeably larger – and with it the frustration of the Stubai man, who was used to floating in other spheres in the early years of his career.
One cannot blame Gregor Schlierenzauer for not having tried everything to get back to his old strength. He broke new ground, he changed his private supervisor several times, two years ago he even hired the trainer, who had helped him in his youth at the Stams ski school, with the long-standing successful German coach Werner Schuster.
Alone, the success no longer wanted to come. On December 6, 2014 Gregor Schlierenzauer celebrated the last of his 53 World Cup victories in Lillehammer. At that place, on that hill, where he had won his first World Cup competition almost to the day exactly eight years earlier at the age of 16.
December 6, 2014, the day on which Gregor Schlierenzauer celebrated the last of his 53 World Cup victories
In the eight years between his first and his last World Cup victory, Gregor Schlierenzauer was almost constantly on cloud nine, the trophies just seemed to be flying towards him. Except for one: The individual Olympic victory was withheld from the exceptional talent. Gregor Schlierenzauer was only supposed to become Olympic champion with the team (2010 in Vancouver).
Nevertheless, the Tyrolean has a place in the history books of sport. No jumper will surpass the 53 World Cup victories that Gregor Schlierenzauer achieved so quickly.