At 28 years old
Surprise: Biathlon star ends career
October 15, 2025 – 7:30 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
He celebrated great success in his sport at a young age. But now Felix Leitner is calling it quits – he recently suffered a few setbacks.
Shock for Austrian biathlon: Just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup, Felix Leitner announced his retirement from competitive sports. The 28-year-old announced his retirement via Instagram – a surprising step.
The news also comes at an unusual time: the new season begins at the end of November in Östersund, Sweden. The Winter Olympics will follow in February 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo – actually a highlight in every winter athlete’s calendar. Felix Leitner will then no longer be there.
“Many days became the best because I was able to experience and celebrate moments with my best people,” the Tyrolean wrote in his post. He has been able to “laugh, cry, be amazed and enjoy” in biathlon over the past 16 years – and he wants to remember this time in exactly the same way.
Leitner was long considered one of the greatest talents in Austrian biathlon. Three titles at the youth and junior world championships as well as individual gold at the European Championships in 2018 underlined his class early on. However, he was denied his big breakthrough in the World Cup. In the 2019/20 season he finished 22nd in the overall standings – his best result. His greatest successes include a podium finish in the mass start at the World Cup in Oberhof in January 2021 and victory in the World Team Challenge with Lisa Theresa Hauser in the same year.
Since the 2022/23 season, however, things haven’t been going well for the Tyrolean. Health problems and a lack of consistency set him back, and he also missed the World Cup due to illness. The Austrian Ski Association then removed him from the squad for the 2025/26 Olympic season.