Austrian top scorer Marcel Hirscher, 35, will represent his mother’s home country Holland in the future.
Austrian alpine skier Marcel Hirscher unexpectedly returns to the Alpine Skiing World Cup.
The Olympic champion, who retired in the spring of 2019, will represent his mother’s homeland, the Netherlands, instead of Austria.
Due to the long competition break, Hirscher will first compete in New Zealand, where he will collect FIS points in order to participate in the World Cup next season.
The return to fitness should not be delayed, as Hirscher, who has won seven World Championship gold medals, has been training and counting regularly.
“I have a great relationship with the Austrian Ski Federation, and I am grateful for everything we have achieved together. However, this new project works best as a Dutch one,” commented Hirscher in the announcement of the Dutch Ski Association.
Hirscher, who has won eight consecutive overall World Cup competitions, is presumably also behind his decision by his own Van Deer ski brand.
In the Austrian national team, he could not have used his own brand of equipment, while in the colors of Holland it is possible.
Holland’s in addition, the alpine skiing world cup will see a lot of exotic countries next year.
Representing Greece Guinness, too finished ninth in the best season. The 29-year-old, who originally competed for the US national team, gave Greece the country’s first alpine medal when he won World Cup silver in the slalom in February 2023.
In addition to Greece and the Netherlands, the colors of Brazil will also be cooling next winter in alpine skiing.
The young man who dominated the Men’s World Cup slalom in the 2022–23 season by Lucas Braathen and the relationship between the Norwegian Skiing Federation fell apart for good after that season, as Braathen was not allowed to conclude his personal sponsorship contracts freely. Last October, he said he would end his career at only 23 years old.
Now, however, the Norwegian is returning to the World Cup in the colors of his mother’s home country, Brazil. Braathen becomes the first Brazilian alpine skier in the World Cup.
Alpine skiing the world cup starts in October in Sölden, Austria.
The first slalom competitions of the season are counted for both women and men in Finland, when the men return to Levi in November after a five-year break.