Wearing lederhosen to mark the end of his career. © Screenshot

It doesn't get more bizarre than this: This is how a South Tyrolean ends his career

The 2025/26 season came to an end on Sunday for the world's best ski cross athletes in Gällivare, Sweden. A South Tyrolean athlete ended his career in the far north – and attracted attention with an unusual outfit.

March 30, 2026

From: leo

Yanick Gunsch is retiring from skiing. The 29-year-old from Mals pushed off from the starting blocks for the last time in Gällivare – not in his classic racing suit, but in lederhosen. But that wasn't all: The International Ski Federation (FIS) organized a special heat for Gunsch, Romain Detraz, Jonas Lenherr (both from Switzerland), and the Frenchwoman Marielle Berger Sabbatel, in which the retired skiers bid farewell to the big stage.

But Gunsch wasn't the only one who came up with something special for his final appearance; Berger Sabbatel did too, dressed as an old woman with a walking aid. The Frenchwoman showed in Gällivare that at 36, she's far from over the hill. The fourth-place finisher at the Livigno Olympics ended her career with a second-place finish – her 37th World Cup podium.

World Championship medal as the highlight

Gunsch's farewell race, however, didn't go as planned, as he missed the finals by just three hundredths of a second, finishing 33rd. The 29-year-old can look back on a career that includes one podium finish – namely, in January of last year on the Reiteralm, where he finished third. The highlight of his career came last March at the World Championships in Engadin, where he won the bronze medal in the team event with Jole Galli.

With Gunsch's departure, the number of South Tyrolean athletes in the A-national ski cross team decreases further. Dominik Zuech, who finished 6th and 21st in Gällivare, is the last remaining local athlete competing at World Cup level.