"Unwavering will required for elite sport hasn't been there" - Stephanie Venier retires from competitive skiing

Austrian skier Stephanie Venier announced her retirement from competitive skiing, citing that she hasn't felt the desire to return to the slopes since the 2024-25 World Cup. Venier won her first World Cup title during that season and a bronze medal in the team combined.

Venier began her World Cup journey at 19 in 2013 and won her first podium in 2017. She claimed the downhill silver medal at the World Championships the same year. At the 2019 World Cup, Venier earned her first downhill gold and added another in the 2023/24 edition. The Austrian also won her first Super-G pole podium in that season.

According to a press release from the Austrian ski federation, after her victorious campaign at the 2025 Worlds, she hasn't felt the zeal to return to competitive skiing. The 31-year-old announced her retirement, stating that her greatest dream was fulfilled in Saalbach this year.

"The unwavering will required for elite sport simply hasn't been there in recent months to the extent I expect it to be. I more than fulfilled my greatest dream of winning a medal at the home World Championships in Saalbach with a gold and a bronze. Even though the Olympic Games are coming up next year, it feels like the right time for me to draw a line under my racing career. As the saying goes: The peak of your career is the best time to retire," she said.

She earned 24th place in the overall standings in the latest World Cup season, while Italian Federica Brignone topped the table.

Stephanie Venier beamed with pride and joy after her monumental gold win at the 2024-25 World Championships

Stephanie Venier at the Audi Fis Alpine World Ski Championships - Women's Super G - (Source: Getty)

Stephanie Vernier shared the line-up with formidable rivals and the legendary Lindsey Vonn, who returned to the slopes six years after retirement. The Austrian skier smoothly glided down the course and touched the finish line in 1:20:47 in front of a packed home crowd. Following her win, she was at a loss for words and revealed that the night before had been rough, but she managed to win the Super-G title.

"It's just a dream. I'm still speechless. It was an amazing run in front of the home crowd which made it even more special. Nothing can beat this. I had a bad night before, but I skied well at practice in the morning and I think the performance was amazing!" she said (via Olympics.com).

Stephanie Venier also earned three podium finishes at the Junior World Championships: a gold and a silver in 2013 and a silver in 2014.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder