The most decorated Austrian biathlete of our time, Lisa Theresa Hauser, has announced her retirement. She made the announcement on her Instagram page.
The athlete officially announced her decision on Wednesday, March 18, the day before the start of the women's sprint in Holmenkollen. Despite the fact that the biathlete had previously announced her intention to continue competing until the 2028 home World Championships in Hochfilzen, she has decided to end her professional career at the end of the current season.
On her Instagram page, the biathlete summed up her 15-year career and thanked the team that accompanied her on her path to global recognition.
“I have experienced so many incredibly beautiful moments, shared them with special people and competed with the best biathletes in the world. My rivals have become friends. My coaches, especially Sandra and Fred, have become my second family. But it has also taken a lot of energy, and now is the time to say goodbye. A simple ' thank you ' seems insufficient, but it comes from the heart,” she wrote.
In an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF, Hauser spoke in more detail about the motives for her step. According to the athlete, the last few weeks have been emotionally intense for her due to constant reflection and memories of key moments in her professional journey.
“My priorities in life just shifted, I started to feel like my personal life was more important to me. High-level sport was my life for so long, and I loved doing it. But at some point you just don't have the energy to put into it all – the effort you have to put into the sport is extremely demanding,” she said.
Despite her successful performances, Hauser explained that at this stage her priorities have changed, and professional sports require too much energy expenditure, which she is no longer ready to provide.
“My priorities in life shifted, my personal life became more important to me. High-level sport was my life for so long, and I loved doing it. But at some point you just don't have the energy to put into it all – the effort you have to put into the sport is enormous and extremely demanding.”
Hauser will start her Holmenkollen program with a sprint under number 26. The result of this race will determine her participation in further starts of the stage – pursuit or mass start, which, in this case, will be the final ones in her career.
Lisa Teresa Hauser: what is known
- 32-year-old Austrian biathlete, 2021 world champion in mass start and three-time silver medalist at world championships.
- At the end of the 2020/21 season, Hauser shared the small Crystal Globe in the individual race standings with Dorothea Wierer.
- Hauser's best result at the Games level was fourth place in the sprint at the Beijing 2022 Olympics, and in all individual races she finished within the top 20. And the top result of the current season is 27th place in the individual race at the 26th Olympiad in Milano-Cortina.