Last Prevc flight in Planica
Ski jumping superstar announces surprising retirement
Peter Prevc not only comes from a ski jumping family, but is also one of Slovenia's most successful athletes. At the end of the season, the 31-year-old will end his extraordinary career. He has chosen a special place for this.
The Slovenian ski jumper Peter Prevc will end his career at the end of the season. The 31-year-old announced this at a press conference. In a post on Instagram, the winner of the 2016 Four Hills Tournament thanked fans, coaches and his family, among others.
“Planica is a place where great things happen. I invited you to tell you that this will be my last season as a professional athlete. I took time to think and I think I made a wise decision. In the end, the heart tells the right thing,” the 31-year-old is quoted as saying by the Slovenian platform “siol.net”.
In addition to the tour victory, Prevc also secured individual gold at the Ski Flying World Championships in 2016 as well as victory in the overall World Cup. He won 23 of his 331 World Cup jumps. At the Nordic World Ski Championships and the Winter Olympics, Prevc won a total of seven medals, including Olympic gold in the mixed team and silver from the normal hill.
Prevc is the eldest of four ski jumping siblings. His 18-year-old sister Nika Prevc is currently leading the women's ski jumping World Cup, and his 24-year-old brother Domen Prevc became ski flying world champion at Kulm a few days ago together with Peter and the Slovenian team. 27-year-old Cene Prevc ended his career two years ago.
Prevc is scheduled to make his last jump at the World Cup finals in Planica, Slovenia (March 21 to 24). In his home country, he was named Sportsman of the Year four times between 2013 and 2016. “I don't know what I'm going to do next, there are many possibilities, but we'll talk about it in 47 days,” he said, describing a two-year struggle to end his career. “After the Olympic Games, I started thinking about when the right time would be, how much my body and heart could still do, whether I could still fully commit to the sport.”
