Two-time overall World Cup champion Lara Gut-Behrami has announced she will be retiring after the 2025-26 Olympic season. The 34-year-old Swiss skier revealed her plans at a sponsor’s event in Zurich this week, confirming that the upcoming Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo will mark her final competitive appearance.
Gut-Behrami’s decision coincides with significant personal changes. She intends to relocate to London next year to join her husband, former Swiss international footballer Valon Behrami, who is set to become sporting director at English club Watford. “I certainly won’t be a cleaning lady,” Gut-Behrami remarked, hinting at her desire to start a family as she transitions away from the sport.
Gut-Behrami made her World Cup debut at the age of 16 in 2007. She went on to win overall World Cup titles in 2015-16 and 2023-24, amassing 48 World Cup victories, fifth on the all-time women’s list. Her Olympic record includes a gold medal in super-G and a bronze medal in giant slalom at the 2022 Beijing Games, as well as a downhill bronze medal at the 2014 Sochi Games. At the 2021 World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, she delivered one of her most dominant performances, sweeping gold in both super-G and giant slalom and earning bronze in downhill.
She missed the 2010 Vancouver Olympics due to injury but returned to become one of the sport’s most consistent and versatile athletes. Her 48 World Cup wins place her among the elite, trailing only Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn among active female skiers.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina will be Gut-Behrami’s fourth Games. As she prepares for her final season, she has expressed gratitude for her career and excitement for the next phase of her life in England.
