Industry News
Swedish ski racer Lisa Hörnblad announced her retirement on her Instagram page on April 10, stating, “I can’t continue like it has been last season because it’s impossible to be competitive against the best in the world without support, coach, and team.” The 28-year-old ski racer admits that she is sad to announce that she is quitting but feels that “this is the right thing to do for my well-being.”
The Swedish speed specialist is the only skier competing for Sweden in Downhill and Super-G after her former teammates Lin Ivarsson and Helena Rapaport retired. After the 23/24 season in which Hörnblad had no coach or team to support her, the Swedish Ski Association held talks with the skier but could not offer a satisfactory solution for the coming season. “It’s sad that Lisa feels the way she does, but I hope she also remembers all the fun and wonderful moments we had together,” says national team manager Lars Melin in a press release of the Swedish Ski Association.
The announcement comes after Hörnblad’s comeback season following a knee injury she sustained in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in January 2022. During the Super-G in Cortina, the Swedish skier had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and both menisci in her left knee. It was her second ACL rupture, following an earlier crash in 2019, which required three surgeries and two years of recovery.
After another long and difficult rehabilitation and several surgeries, Hörnblad returned to the World Cup circuit with a Super-G event at Corviglia in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in December 2023, which ended with a DNF. Her 23/24 World Cup season best was 23rd place at Zauchensee, Austria. In the Swedish Nationals at Åre, Sweden, she came second in Super-G. Her emotional rehab and recovery reels on Instagram and Facebook went viral, garnering millions of views, and many cheered for a successful comeback by the Swedish speed specialist.
Hörnblad made her World Cup debut at age 21 in Val d’Isere, France, in December 2017. She competed in 45 World Cup events, with a personal best of 11th place in the Downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. In 2019, the Swede suffered a torn ACL during summer training, and then again in 2022. Last season, Hörnblad was training with younger Swedish athletes before switching to being independently coached by retired ski racer Ioan Achiriloaie together with French/Romanian ski racer Ania Caill. The Swedish skier admits, “I didn’t reach my goals, but I am proud that I never stopped fighting. My last four years was all about injuries and I fighted [sic] my way back every time.” It is devastating that the World Cup skier bows out on these terms, but it is understandable that she must put her well-being first.
“Ski racing took my health but gave me unforgettable memories and friends for life.”
— Lisa Hörnblad
