Olympics
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Three time U.S. Olympic alpine skier Andrew Weibrecht announced his retirement from racing yesterday at the age of 32. Weibrecht made his World Cup debut in 2006 and spent the next 12 years as a member of the U.S. Ski Team, making three olympic appearances, and taking home two medals. Citing the stresses of being on the road, Weibrecht posted on social media:
“Anyway, what it comes down to is this; the stress of being on the road and away from my family no longer made ski racing worth it. I will always love the experience, but I no longer love the lifestyle and I’m happy to say that I’m retiring the way I wanted to; without regret and ready for the next adventure. I’m sorry for the long windedness, but you know what they say ‘you only retire from your first career, at thirty two, once’.”
The man from Lake Placid, NY known as the “War Horse” surprised everyone, including himself, taking the bronze medal in the Super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In the 4 years following, Weibrecht dealt with two shoulder injuries, an ankle surgery, and a concussion, which had him demoted to the U.S. B Team and considering retirement.
After getting healthy, Weibrecht made his comeback at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and shocked the world again, taking the silver medal in the Super-G. The two years following the games were some of the best of his career, racking up nine top 10 results in World Cup speed races. Knee injuries plagued his training leading into the Pyeongchang games, where he skied off course to end his Olympic career.
