Hirscher Rules Out Competing In 2026 Season

lpine skiing legend Marcel Hirscher has announced he will not compete in World Cup racing this season, dealing a major setback to his comeback attempt and effectively ending his hopes of competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

The 36-year-old eight-time overall World Cup champion made the decision after recent training sessions with elite skiers revealed he is not yet competitive at the level required for World Cup racing.

"The truth is, it's not possible at the moment," Hirscher said. "The speed at which I can ski right now is not worthy of the World Cup. Training with the best in the world was amazing, but it also showed me exactly what it takes—and I'm just not there."

Hirscher's managed just three World Cup starts before suffering a torn ACL during giant slalom training in December 2024.

Hirscher, who came out of a five-year retirement in 2024 to represent the Netherlands (his mother’s home country), has faced an uphill battle since his return:

• Dec 2024: Suffered a season-ending ACL tear during training at Reiteralm.
• Sept 2025: Returned to snow training in the Netherlands, showing early promise.
• Oct 2025: Forced to skip the Sölden season opener due to a lingering viral infection.
• Dec 2025: Sustained a calf injury that halted his final push for Olympic qualification.

The injury occurred at Austria's Reiteralm, where Hirscher posted on Instagram at the time: "Cruciate ligament gone, project over." It marked the first major knee injury of his storied career and left his future in doubt.

After completing an intensive six-month rehabilitation program, Hirscher returned to snow in September 2025 at the SnowWorld indoor ski center in Zoetermeer, Netherlands. He gradually built up to on-snow training at the Reiteralm with world-class competitors, hoping to return to racing by January 2026.

However, a calf injury forced him to pause training for two weeks, further delaying his progress. The combination of the injury setback and the honest assessment of his current performance level led Hirscher to make what he acknowledged was a difficult but necessary decision.

Rather than rushing back prematurely, Hirscher plans to focus on training throughout 2026 and is targeting a potential return for the 2026-27 World Cup season. The International Ski Federation had granted him 17 wildcard entries that would have allowed him to compete without meeting current ranking requirements—a special provision created specifically to facilitate comebacks by legendary former champions.

Hirscher's decision demonstrates a level of self-awareness rare among elite athletes. For someone who dominated alpine skiing from 2012 to 2019, winning a record eight consecutive overall titles along with 67 World Cup victories, 11 World Championship medals, and two Olympic golds, the admission that he's not yet ready represents a candid acknowledgment of the sport's demands.

His original comeback in 2024 was motivated partly by the desire to compete at the World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, his home region in Austria, as well as to continue developing his Van Deer ski equipment brand, which he co-founded with Red Bull.

The delay also means Hirscher's Olympic aspirations are effectively over, as the Milan-Cortina Games will be held in February 2026. While qualifying for the Dutch team would have been more feasible than making the Austrian squad, the timing no longer works in his favor.

Hirscher's best finish during his brief 2024 comeback was 23rd place in the season opener at Sölden before his injury cut short what he had hoped would be a triumphant return to the sport he dominated for nearly a decade.
Despite the disappointment, Hirscher remains committed to the long-term goal of returning to competitive form, prioritizing proper preparation over premature competition.