Richard Freitag announces his retirement

Germany's Richard Freitag announced his retirement at a press conference this afternoon at the FIS Ski Flying World Cup weekend in Oberstdorf (GER).

"Over the past weeks it became clear to me I will not be able to achieve my personal goals anymore, despite all the effort. I had a really nice time and gained many valuable experiences, but now it's time to retire and focus on other things. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who supported me over the years, the army, sponsors, the German Ski Association, coaches, doctors, physical therapists, fans, and especially my family", Richard Freitag explained his decision.

"After the end of my career as an athlete, I now want to focus on my professional future. Right now I'm considering various options, I have not made a decision yet. I will definitely stay connected to the sport, one way or the other. Ski Jumping was my big passion and I always considered it a privilege to do this special sport", said the 30-year-old, who had his final appearance in the World Cup in January in Titisee-Neustadt.

8 World Cup wins, 8 medals
Richard Freitag participated in 221 World Cup competitions since his debut in 2009. He was on the podium 23 times and claimed eight World Cup wins, the last one on December 17th, 2017, in Engelberg (SUI). In the 2017/18 season, he finished second in the overall World Cup.

At the Olympic Games 2018 in PyeongChang, he won silver with the German team, at the World Championships he claimed a total of six medals in team competitions, two of which were in gold. At the Ski Flying World Championships 2018, he won individual bronze.