Two-time Olympic champion Raich retires

VIENNA, Austria: Austrian double Olympic alpine skiing champion Benjamin Raich announced his retirement on Thursday after 18 years on the World Cup circuit.
Raich, 37, won gold medals in both the men’s slalom and giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin in addition to world titles in the slalom and combined event at Bormio in 2005.
“Thinking about the races at Soelden (which mark the start of the World Cup season at the end of October), I felt that I didn’t really have any more motivation or under pressure to give it my all. Therefore I’m putting an end to my career,” he said at a press conference.
Raich earned the overall World Cup title in 2006 and finished runner-up five times while also collecting eight small crystal globes for being the season’s best skier in a particular discipline.
Raich took part in 441 World Cup races and recorded 36 victories, placing him sixth on the all-time list still headed up by the legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark.
Raich is the fifth Austrian skier to retire since the end of last season, joining Kathrin Zettel, Andrea Fischbacher, Mario Matt and Nicole Hosp.