“It is enough now“-Claudia Pechstein finally stops at the age of 53. There is no ninth Olympic participation for the multiple record athlete from Berlin.
Germany’s record Olympic participant and multiple Olympic champion Claudia Pechstein ended her career. At a press conference on Monday (10.03.2025) in Berlin, the 53-year-old skill runner declared her resignation from active competitive sports.
Pechstein: “Can hang ice skates on the nail”
In her declaration of withdrawal, Pechstein made a direct reference to the end of her legal dispute with the ISU ice skating world association: “It is enough now. I always said that when everything is over, I stop. So I can now hang the ice skates on the nail and stop”said the six -time world champion at the press conference – and then actually banded two ice skates together and symbolically hung them to two prepared wardrobe hooks.
In the future, she wants to continue as a trainer and consultant. “So I’m still on the ice, but no longer as a athlete.”
Claudia Pechstein symbolically hangs her ice skates.
42 World Cup medals and 41 German championship titles
Pechstein dominated from her first Olympic gold in 1994 and her World Cup gold in 1996 until her fifth Olympic gold medal in 2006 and her last World Cup gold medal in 2004 over many years. With her Olympic participation in Beijing in 2022, she was the first female athlete to take part in eight Olympic games.
Pechstein has also set up further records: With her five Olympic wins and a total of nine Olympic medals, she was a long Germany successful winter Olympionary, until she was overhauled by racing tobogganist Nathalie Geisenberger in 2022. Pechstein ran to a total of 42 World Cup medals, with World Cup silver over 5,000 meters of 2017, she became the oldest World Cup medalist in ice skating history. She won the medal eleven days before her 45th birthday.
Pechstein became German champion 41 times, most recently in 2021 at the age of 49.
Doping allegations and rehabilitation
The unique career of Pechstein was overshadowed by a lock to doping allegations. After irregularities in blood samples in summer 2009, Pechstein was blocked by the World Association ISU. Pechstein always denied doping and was able to demonstrate with an expert opinion that they were the reason for changes in their blood count. This would have an impact on the number of reticulocytes, the value of which was increased in the striking blood sample. Pechstein returned to ice in 2011.
However, the legal discussion took many years. Pechstein demanded compensation in the millions from the ISU World Association. This process ended on February 27, 2025 with a comparison stimulated by the court. Both Pechstein and the World Association spoke of a “clear and conciliatory end.” Nothing became known about the exact sum of the agreement.
Pechstein now finished her career eleven days later.
Source: Dirk Hofmeister (with material from dpa)