Olympic silver medalist undergoes surgery
Ski star Feller ends the season early
Updated March 4, 2026 – 3:41 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Both physical and mental problems bother Manuel Feller. After a successful Olympic Games, he now drew a premature end to the ongoing season.
Slalom specialist Manuel Feller ends his World Cup season early. The Austrian wants to concentrate completely on his health and is therefore skipping the last races of the winter. The 33-year-old announced this via Instagram.
In coordination with the coaching team of the Austrian Ski Association, Feller decided not to take part in the last two World Cups this season. Instead, he is now focusing on regeneration.
Feller explained: “I will neither be competing in Kranjska Gora nor at the World Cup finals in Norway. It was a very challenging season for me mentally and physically. Over the years, mental challenges have developed for me, which became particularly difficult last autumn.”
The Kitzbühel winner reported that he had already consciously slowed down in the fall in order to work on himself. Nevertheless, the season took a lot of energy. “I continued to fight and am proud of the development I have made on and off the slopes. But after the Olympic Games, my body and mind clearly signaled to me that now was the time to take a break.” At the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Feller won silver in the alpine team combination together with Vincent Kriechmayr.
In addition to mental stress, Feller has recently also struggled with several physical problems. Persistent sciatica symptoms caused by several herniated discs bothered him, as did an inguinal hernia and inflammation of the pubic bone.
The Austrian also wants to use the planned break for medical procedures. An operation on the back is planned, and another operation on the groin could follow. Feller explained that his goal is to fully recover and start the coming season optimally prepared.
