Time to say good-bye: Big names retiring in Cross-Country Skiing
Aug 31, 2018·Cross-Country
At the end of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup 2016/17 season, a number of stars have decided to retire, many of whom have left a lasting impact on the sport.
Johan Olsson (SWE)
After 16 years on the World Cup Swedish skier Johan Olsson retired from competitive skiing. Olsson was one of the most successful Swedish skiers winning 14 Olympic and World Championships medals. Only legends Gunde Svan and Sixten Jernberg have more with 17.
Lukas Bauer (CZE)
The best Czech Cross-Country skier Lukas Bauer already announced before the season that it would be his last. Bauer competed at five Olympic Winter Games, 11 World Championships and 19 World Cup seasons. During his long career Bauer won 18 World Cups, two silver World Championships medals and three Olympic Winter Games medals. In 2008 and 2010, Bauer won the FIS Tour de Ski and secured the overall World Cup in the 2007/08 season.
Sami Jauhojaervi (FIN)
Sami Jauhojaervi debuted on the FIS World Cup in 2001. His career featured 213 individual World Cup starts, 25 World Championship races and 12 Olympic events.
The biggest successes of his career were Olympic gold in team sprint classic in Sochi 2014 (RUS), and three bronze medals at World Championships, including one in team sprint classic on home snow in Lahti 2017 and two in the men’s relay and team sprint classic in Liberec 2009 (CZE).
Sami was a member of the FIS Athletes’ Commission from 2009-2013.
Martin Johansson (SWE)
Martin Johansson recently announced that the conclusion of the Swedish Ski Championships also marked the end of his elite skiing career. A World Championship medallist twice in Orienteering, and a regular World Cup skier for the Swedish team with a career best fifth in Ruka 2015 (FIN), he leaves the sport as the 2017 bronze medallist in the 50km event of the Swedish Championships.
FIS and the entire Cross-Country community wishes the athletes all the best in their future endeavours!
