Manuel Ploner in conversation with SportNews.

Ski ace Ploner after retirement: “Now I want to become a pilot”

"I have to listen to my body," Manuel Ploner wrote on social media on Tuesday when he announced his retirement from skiing at just 24 years old. While this decision is still fresh in his mind, the South Tyrolean has already made ambitious plans for his future.

10 April 2025

When we reached Manuel Ploner by phone on Wednesday morning, he was sitting in his car. His Nordica skis were in the trunk. He was driving from Abtei to Marebbe, where he handed them over to the Tecnica Group's racing director. Manfred Mölgg, who had held this position for about two years, was his name. Ploner seemed relaxed, almost relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The 24-year-old has been in the ski pension since Tuesday.

This doesn't mean the decision was easy. The last few months have taken a toll on Ploner, especially mentally. Closing this chapter now opens new doors for him. "It was always a childhood dream to become a pilot. I know it's not easy, but I'll try," emphasizes Ploner. Furthermore, the Val Gardena native plans to devote more time to his second great hobby, photography. "I'm very excited to see what life after sports has in store for me, and how far my ambition will take me."

No improvement in sight

Of course, he would have preferred to continue his career as an athlete – but it was no longer possible. The back pain that had plagued him for years was too severe. "It first appeared in 2021. After a break of about two and a half months, I got it under control. Over the next few years, things went up and down, before I reached rock bottom in January of this year," Ploner says. While the pain had previously been concentrated in the lumbar region, it now extended into my legs.

Passionate photographer: Manuel Ploner

The Val Gardena native, who had previously been limited to a few runs a day while taking painkillers, had to stop skiing altogether. "I've tried everything in the last few months. But every time I increased the intensity or returned to the slopes, the pain returned," says Ploner, who had to almost completely abandon slalom, his best discipline, in the final years of his career.

Surgery not yet an issue

The cause of Ploner's pain is a herniated and bulging disc. Although surgery was considered, the South Tyrolean ultimately decided against it – primarily because the pain was specifically related to skiing and he is largely symptom-free in everyday life. However, if the situation worsens in the future, he will consider surgery.

“I’ve reached my limit.” Manuel Ploner

"I was examined by Dr. Michael Gabl, who is considered a back guru and treated Marco Schwarz last summer. In his opinion, spinal stabilization surgery would have made sense. In that case, however, I would have had to take a full year off," reports Ploner. When asked whether he wanted to start from scratch in two seasons at the age of 26, he answered "no." "I've reached my limit," said Ploner, who made the final decision last week.

Manuel Ploner is looking forward to life after his career.

The athlete from Abtei can look back on a career with the aforementioned lows, but also numerous successes. He became a two-time U18 Italian champion, won the silver medal in slalom at the European Youth Games (EYOF), and won a total of five FIS races. "My best memory was the 2018 season. It was like a game, I had a lot of fun, and our team was a great bunch," Ploner concludes.