Marcel Hirscher is ready to return to the “White Circus”. The champion born in 1989, after announcing his retirement in 2019, is ready to take everyone by surprise by being found at the starting gate of the 2024-2025 season with a big news: that of racing not for Austria, but for the Netherlands.
To report the indiscretion it was the media “Kronen Zeitung”, and “in support” of this also arrived the no impediment on the part of austrian ski federation – la ÖSV -, who gave his approval for this to happen.
So Marcel Hirscher, 2-time Olympic champion (3 medals in total), 7-time world champion (11 medals in total at the World Championships) and with 8 absolute World Cups in his palmares, will return to the stage honoring and representing the colors of the “Orange” flag, linked to him through direct maternal descent.
Return without “disturbing”, with a view to qualifying for the 2025 World Cupto his companions: this is the intent of Hirscher who, at those World Cups, which will be held in Saalbach next year, watches: “In the last few days we have had discussions with several parties and have been informed that Marcel Hirscher can imagine a return to the international ski circuit – explains the Secretary General ofÖSV, Christian Scherer –. As the Austrian ski association, we have obviously made every effort to offer Marcel the best possible conditions in the event of his return to racing and we also had the opportunity to explain them to him in a personal exchange. Of course, we very much regret his decision to ask for a change of country to the Dutch ski association, but in the end we also supported him. Marcel has achieved enormous things for skiing and forÖSV. As a sign of appreciation and in the spirit of the internationality of skiing, the Conference of Presidents ofÖSV today unanimously approved his request to change association”.
In the coming weeks we will try to understand when Hirscher will be able to compete again, but it is probable that, having to hunt for FIS points to get back up in the international rankings, he will commit himself to New Zealand from next summer, which is also an ideal terrain for training.
