Marcel Hirscher retired from skiing at the top. He’s back to race for a country with no mountains

By ANDREW DAMPF The Associated Press
FILE - Forerunner Marcel Hirscher speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kitzbuehel, Austria, on Jan. 21, 2022. Eight-time overall World Cup champion Hirscher is planning to return to ski racing next season after five years in retirement. And he’s going to compete for the Netherlands — his mother’s country — instead of his native Austria. The Austrian winter sports federation announced Wednesday, April 24, 2024, that it had released the 35-year-old Hirscher and endorsed his nation change. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Marco Trovati]

Eight-time overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher is planning to return to ski racing next season after five years in retirement. And he’s going to compete for his mom’s country the Netherlands instead of his native Austria. The Austrian winter sports federation announced that it had released the 35-year-old Hirscher and endorsed his nation change. Hirscher was born and raised in Austria to an Austrian father and a Dutch mother. Red Bull racing director Patrick Riml says Hirscher plans to enter lower-level races in New Zealand in August to get the necessary points to return to the World Cup circuit and that his main aim is to compete at next season’s world championships in Austria.

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