There is the next retirement in Austrian ski jumping. After Daniel Huber, Peter Resinger and Manuel Fettner, Clemens Leitner also announced the end of his career.
“In February I was faced with a decision. I had to decide whether I wanted to pursue my dream of becoming the world’s best ski jumper or concentrate on my studies and my professional future. Today I’m happy to announce that I’ve chosen the latter and it feels exactly right,” the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram.
In the past season, Leitner was mainly used in the Continental Cup and FIS Cup. At the Four Hills Tournament, the Austrian was able to compete in Innsbruck (40th place) and Bischofshofen (36th place).
Leitner “incredibly grateful” for time in ski jumping
“Looking back, I am incredibly grateful for everything this sport has given me. It wasn’t just about the jumps, but about the journey there. I had the privilege of getting to know so many stubborn competitors who became friends – not just from Austria, but also from Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Norway, Finland, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Japan, the USA and Poland,” said Leitner, summing up his time in ski jumping.
At the same time, the Austrian looked ahead. “It was an incredible time full of ambition, celebration and success. But now it’s time to concentrate on life after my studies. I’m really looking forward to my studies, my future work and the new challenges that lie ahead of me,” said Leitner.
Three other Austrian ski jumpers, Huber, Resinger and Fettner, had already ended their careers. The best ÖSV athlete last winter was Daniel Tschofenig, third overall in the World Cup behind Domen Prevc (Slovenia) and Ryoyu Kobayashi (Japan).
