Richard Freitag ended his career
Dhe two-time ski jumping world champion Richard Freitag ended his career with immediate effect. The 30-year-old from Saxony announced this on Saturday as part of the Ski Flying World Cup in Oberstdorf, where he was no longer in action. With eight victories in the World Cup, the Olympic silver medalist from Pyeongchang is the seventh German jumper in history in the team competition.
“In the past few weeks it has become clear to me that, despite my great commitment, I can no longer say what my personal goals are,” the sports soldier Freitag in his preferred Allgäu adopted home: “I had a really nice time and was able to gain a lot of valuable experience, but it it’s time to stop and move on to something new.”
Most recently, Freitag lost touch and once again missed out on a place in the World Cup team. At times he was only at the start in the third-rate FIS Cup. At the Four Hills Tournament, the noble technician, who had long attracted attention with his distinctive mustache, did not even make it to the start over the extended squad of the “national group”. In January he came with the B squad in Titisee-Neustadt to two last appearances in the World Cup and showed possibly improving form with 21st place.
Freitag, who organized 2015 in Innsbruck for the first German day win in a Four Hills Tournament event in 13 years, experienced his best season in the 2017/18 Olympic winter when he temporarily led the overall World Cup. The sticking point in his career was the tour of that season, for which he had started as a favorite, but had a bad fall in Innsbruck and had to drop out. After that, he still won team silver in Pyeongchang and became team world champion in 2019, but he never found his old strength again.
He left open what plans Friday will now pursue. “I’m currently examining various options – I haven’t made a specific decision yet,” he said. Ski jumping was my great passion and I always considered it a privilege to be able to practice this sport.”