The emotional ski farewell of the South Tyrolean by choice

Almost exactly two years ago SportNews with Elena Sandulli a long interview, in which the then 21-year-old talked about her dream of one day becoming a professional skier. However, her plans quickly changed: Sandulli no longer competed in a single race from March 2021. The reason? “I still don’t know exactly how or why, but I guess the pressure made me forget what was really important in some ways,” she wrote on social media. She didn't notice and looked away for a while, "until it was just too much to continue." Sandulli took a break. A long pause. “During these two years I had to take a break from the mountains. Although I had a great time off-piste, opening up to new adventures and meeting people from different backgrounds, I missed skiing,” Sandulli writes. And so the now 23-year-old competed in a race again more than two years after her last appearance on April 11th: in an FIS giant slalom on Alpe Cermis, she came second and even left a World Cup great like Laura Pirovano behind her. No comeback “The last few days have been an unexpected and great gift for me,” says Sandulli, describing her short-term return. “Driving down the mountains, surrounded by this incredibly beautiful nature, hearing the wind blowing through my hair and increasing the speed with every curve always gave me goosebumps. This was the only way I felt free, the only way I could truly connect with myself. I had almost forgotten how great it is.” Despite the successful return to work, Sandulli will not be celebrating a comeback. The Roman was considered a great talent, after all, she already scored European Cup points at the age of 17. After she was allowed to compete twice in the World Cup at the beginning of the 2018 season, her development stalled. Not least because she had to fight on her own for a while after being kicked out of the squad. That left its mark. In any case, a new life awaits her now – far away from the ski slopes.

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The emotional ski farewell of the South Tyrolean by choice

Not so long ago she was one of the biggest local skiing hopes - even though she originally comes from Rome. A few days ago and after a long pause for thought, South Tyrolean Elena Sandulli decided to end her career.

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