Andreas Stjernen retires after the Raw Air

On Friday afternoon, Andreas Stjernen announced that he will end his career as a ski jumper after this season's Raw Air Tour.

"It's something I have been thinking about already during summer, fall and winter. I gave all I have. At home I noticed that I enjoy watching the team on TV as much as competing myself. So this is it", the 30-year-old explains in a video of the Norwegian Ski Jumping team on Facebook.

Andreas Stjernen will also not be competing until the end of the season and skip the final in Planica two weeks from now. "I will retire after the Raw Air, so I can end my career at home."

One reason for the Norwegian to retire already before the World Cup final was his serious crash in Lahti (FIN) just a couple of weeks ago: "This crash didn't influence my decision to retire, but my decision to not be competing in Planica. It sticks in your head longer than you had hoped for."

Right now Andreas Stjernen does not have exact plans for his future yet. "I will spend time at home. Then I'll study something or find a job. It will be an exciting spring."

This decision means that the Ski Jumping career of Andreas Stjernen ends a bit more than nine years after his World Cup debut in Lillehammer in December 2009. So far he took part in 164 individual competitions and claimed his only win in January 2018 in a Ski Flying event in Bad Mitterndorf.

The big highlight of his career was definitely winning Olympic gold with the team at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang. He also won gold in the team competition at the 2018 Ski Flying World Championships in Oberstdorf. At the Nordic World Championships 2017 in Lahti and 2019 in Seefeld he was on the podium as well in second and third in the team events.