"Had expected ..."

Criticism and baby luck: ski oldie ends career!

Stefano Gross is ending his skiing career - and family planning with his wife is already well advanced. The two are expecting a baby.(Bild: GEPA)

Stefano Gross retires after 165 World Cup races! And in his retirement declaration, he doesn't hold back on criticizing the Italian Ski Federation. At the same time, the 38-year-old slalom specialist announced that he will soon be a dad.

At the end of January in Schladming, he had already caused speculation that he would soon be retiring by kissing the snow. "Thank you Schladming. I will miss you," Gross wrote on Instagram at the time. Now it's official. The slalom in Hafjell, Norway, last weekend was his "last race", Gross is quoted as saying in a statement from the Italian Ski Federation (FISI). A farewell that is not easy for the 38-year-old and he is not sparing with his criticism. "I had expected to be treated differently after so many years in the team and I no longer enjoyed it. All of this made me decide to step down and end my career. Out of love for the sport, I would have stuck it out for another five seasons. But to work well, you need motivation, and I no longer had that."

The South Tyrolean celebrated his World Cup debut in Alta Badia 17 years ago (!), since then he has stood on the podium twelve times and won in Adelboden in 2015. At the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Gross finished fourth and missed out on a medal by five hundredths of a second. "I'll take the twelve podium places and the World Cup victory with me from this long journey. I remember my debut. I was knocked out in the first run. But it's a day I remember fondly because it was the first time I was one of the 'big boys'," said Gross.

Gross announces baby news
Gross gets emotional on Instagram and thanks everyone who has accompanied him on his journey. First and foremost his family and his wife, "who has been with me for 11 years, [...] and I also thank her because she will soon give me the most beautiful thing in the world", adorned with a baby emoji, which suggests that the two are expecting a child together. A new chapter in Gross's life as a retired skier and dad is therefore imminent ...