Cheyenne Loch is retiring from the big snowboarding stage. © Instagram/chey_loch

Immediate end to career: German Olympic athlete is pregnant

The Olympics as the final race of his career: A German snowboard star is pregnant and is therefore ending his active career with immediate effect.

March 11, 2026

From: sn/dpa

Cheyenne Loch will skip the final events of this World Cup winter. "I'm looking forward to everything that's coming next," the 31-year-old from Upper Bavaria said in a statement. "The decision about when to take this step was made for me. I would have liked to finish this season. But my body is telling me that it's too much."

The German winter sports athlete has been competing in the World Cup since 2011, reaching the podium nine times. She also participated in six World Championships. In 2021, she had already announced her retirement, as she no longer wanted to continue after two cruciate ligament tears and persistent ankle injuries.

The association hopes for a reunion.

She then made her comeback in 2022 and most recently qualified for her first Olympic Games, where she finished 15th. The parallel giant slalom in Livigno was Loch's last elite race.

Cheyenne Loch competed in her last race in Livigno at the beginning of February. © fissnowboardracing/teamdeutschland

“That’s the best reason to end a career,” said German sports director Andreas Scheid regarding Loch’s pregnancy. “Cheyenne had many difficult moments with her injuries. I have great respect for how she always came back. She will benefit from this resilience in her role as a mother.” Because Loch has already gained some experience as a coach, they would be happy to see her back at Snowboard Germany sometime in the future.