A minor skiing celebrity has ended his career. © det

She has to give up her dream: A sad ski farewell

In the middle of summer and just before the Olympic Games, a skier announced her retirement. She was a minor celebrity in the skiing world.

July 17, 2025

From: det

Even though she never achieved major results or was among the world's elite, Sabrina Simader has become a minor celebrity in the alpine skiing world in recent years. The Snow Leopard, as she calls herself, represents her home country of Kenya – and is the first African skier ever to compete in the World Cup. Now, however, the 27-year-old's special journey is coming to an end.

"After eleven formative and heart-filled years in skiing, it's time for me to gratefully close a chapter," Simader writes on Instagram. It was a career marked by many challenges, but also numerous wonderful moments. In the end, however, the strength and money were no longer enough to compete in the Olympic winter.

Sabrina Simader in action. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

"My most important values have always been authenticity and honesty. In the last few weeks, I've realized that I'm running out of energy to keep preparing financially for the season—to finance coaches, service, and expenses (often from my own savings). Some unexpected things also came to light, so it was honestly clear to me that I no longer wanted to bear the burden and be responsible for this," writes the 27-year-old.

>>> Here you can read a detailed portrait of Sabrina Simader, which was published in February during the Ski World Championships <<

Sabrina Simader's story is a touching one. She was born in Kilifi, a coastal town in Kenya. When she was three years old, her mother met an Austrian, and together they moved to the Alpine country. Sabrina's stepfather taught her to ski there, and the Kenyan was immediately hooked on the sport. So much so that she considered a professional career and actually made it to the World Cup (23 appearances), the World Championships, and the Olympic Games. In 2017, she became the first African woman to compete in both the World Cup and a World Ski Championship.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by ✨Sabrina WANJIKU Simader ✨ (@sabrinasimader98)

Simader has long been a minor celebrity in the skiing scene, and she uses her reach (more than 100.000 fans on Instagram) to raise awareness of issues that go far beyond sports. The Kenyan is committed to environmental protection. She traveled the world with her mini-team – which included her mother (as a physiotherapist) and her boyfriend (for press matters). But now, above all, the financial hurdles became too great. And Sabrina Simader's exceptional career came to an end.