A Finnish giant slalom ace has had enough. © AFP / JOE KLAMAR

"It wasn't love at first sight, but..."

For years he was one of the few to hold the flag of Finnish skiing high. Now Samu Torsti has announced his departure from the big stage in an emotional way.

12 May 2023

From: det

“My journey as an alpine skier is over”: This is how Samu Torsti introduces his long and emotional farewell post on social media. After 76 World Cup races, three Olympics and seven World Cup participations as well as nine podium places in the European Cup, it's over for the Finnish giant slalom. His best World Cup result was a 10th place in Adelboden.

“I often thought to myself that the tank would have to be completely empty once I stopped. Now this moment has come,” writes the Finn on social media and remembers his first contact with skiing. “I remember how I saw for the first time on the Sölden Glacier in 2004 how the knees were pointed in the same direction and the skis made a sharp turn. It wasn’t love at first sight, but almost.”

Fighter on the ski slopes: Samu Torsti. © AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI

Torsti particularly remembers his first World Cup race in 2009 (“I realized how far away I actually was”), his first World Cup points in 2014, his 10th place in Adelboden in 2017 (“We cried for joy”), and the Olympic Games 2022 in Beijing (“I was able to represent Finland at the Games for the third time”) and his seventh and final World Cup in Courchevel last February. "Father and mother once said, 'Don't worry, just give it your all.' It was a good guide,” says the father and now retired skier.