For months the Austrian thought about a comeback: doping hunters made it clear to Mayer that he no longer wanted that

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On December 29, 2022, Matthias Mayer (33) suddenly ended his skiing career. After visiting the Super-G in Bormio (It), the Austrian said during a live interview on ORF: “I have been thinking in recent days and I have to say: for me it is time to resign from the Alpine World Cup .”

The three-time Olympic champion (downhill in 2014, super-G in 2018 and 2022) no longer participated in the race. Now, a year later, Mayer returns to Bormio – no longer as a driver, but as coach of the Austrian speed team.

“I have completed”

A return that is anything but strange for Mayer. “Why should something feel strange?” he tells the Kleine Zeitung. “I’m done, the anniversary doesn’t matter. And you have a lot of memories, but luckily it’s usually the good ones that stay with you.”

He does not regret his decision and thoughts of a comeback are long gone. This has no longer been a problem since Easter, Mayer told the “Krone”. ‘The anti-doping authority has asked if I will be there next season. Then I realized I didn’t want to do that anymore.” He describes the elimination of the obligation to continuously provide information about his whereabouts as one of the greatest reliefs.

Want to start a coaching career?

Even now that he is regularly on the edge of the slopes, he no longer has the itch to get back into the action. Instead, Mayer is glad he can help. “I like to empathize with the athletes, because I know what it is like at the start and what it is like on the track.”

Mayer does not yet know whether his involvement with ÖSV is the start of a coaching career. For now, it will last until after the 2025 World Cup. However, he knows that he is happy to no longer be the center of attention. “People are happy when they see me, but I’m not as hyped as I used to be, especially in winter,” he says. (beer)

Source : Blick