What Hirscher's farewell means for skiing

The two popular figures Svindal and Neureuther were important personalities for the industry, the exceptional athletes leave a big gap. The definition of success, the yardstick by which all competitors oriented themselves, was Hirscher alone. After all, he was the best ski racer in the world.

“I think I'm one of the few people where reality has become bigger than dreams. “That’s extraordinary,” said Hirscher at his farewell press conference on Wednesday evening. World Cup, Olympics, World Cup – Hirscher has won everything (multiple times). The 20 glass balls of his career formed the decoration in Salzburg when he talked about his decision in a white T-shirt without any sponsor logo and, as is usually the case, without much emotion. It wasn't easy for him; the process dragged on for months. “This is not a career change or a job change. This is a life that you end overnight.”

A victory in the slalom – increasingly in the giant slalom in recent years – was a big victory for others when Hirscher was at the start. This is also why journalists were the New York Times and from CNN from the USA came to the jam-packed event, as did those from Italy, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.

Pinturault, Kristoffersen and Paris are favorites for overall victory There are many candidates for overall victory next winter, including the Frenchman Alexis Pinturault and the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen. “You have done a lot for our sport. Thanks to you, I became a much better athlete,” Pinturault said. Speed riders like Dominik Paris from Ultimo also have chances. However, no one will be able to play such a dominant role as Hirscher has played in recent years. For the first time in almost a decade, the overall men's World Cup is completely open again.

For many, Hirscher is also the best ski racer in history, ahead of the World Cup record winner Ingemar Stenmark from Sweden, who was active in the 70s and 80s. Kristoffersen said: “I can't choose between Stenmark and you. But since I raced against you, maybe I should rank you higher. Because then I can say that I skied against the best skier of all time.”

Since Ivica Kostelic's victory in the 2011 season, Hirscher has won the overall World Cup eight times in a row, a record that will not be achievable for years. Since that first overall victory in 2012, he has been on the podium after at least 60 percent of his races every winter and won 35,2 percent of the World Cup competitions. Neureuther: “Now new characters have to be formed” “Eight in a row in the men’s division: That will take many, many years. I don’t think that will happen anymore,” said Neureuther German press agency after Hirscher's resignation. “For the women, (Mikaela) Shiffrin will do it if nothing comes up. But with the gentlemen? I can’t imagine.”

As a TV expert ARD Neureuther will experience and evaluate the consequences of Hirscher's departure up close. “If someone wins this season, it will be difficult for me to accept it – because Marcel wasn’t at the start,” said Neureuther, only half-jokingly. “Now new characters have to be formed that will captivate the public on television screens. This needs to happen urgently. “This has to happen primarily through performance,” demanded Neureuther.

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What Hirscher's farewell means for skiing

Marcel Hirscher's resignation is a turning point for everyone. Much more so than the farewells of Aksel Lund Svindal or Felix Neureuther, who together with the 30-year-old Austrian shaped the past decade in the Alpine Ski World Cup.

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