CROATIA: ALPINE SKIING - Janica Kostelic announces her retirement

Janica Kostelic, one of the most successful women in the history of modern Alpine skiing, said on Thursday (April 19) she was ending her career because she no longer wanted to fight persistent injuries. "The moment has come for me to end my sports career. I do not know how expected or unexpected this came. I am sure that many people wanted me to continue skiing," Kostelic said at a news conference in Mount Sljeme. "The main reason for me saying goodbye are numerous injuries. I have endured much physical pain in the past years, and I used to forget about these pains in my races and training. Still, there was too much of it and really that is the main reason why I am retiring now. There is also fear that I might suffer a more serious injury with more serious consequences. Everyone who worked with me knows that it was never easy to get back on the race course after every rehabilitation," Kostelic added. The 25-year-old quadruple Olympic champion put her career on hold last year and missed the last season, training only sporadically. She has meanwhile focused on her recently opened beauty parlour and tried to keep her private life and her budding love affair with a little-known Croatian away from the limelight. Kostelic has won nine gold medals from world championships and Olympic Games since 2002, despite undergoing knee surgery 10 times. A dysfunctional thyroid forced her to take a six-month break three years ago. She has also collected three overall World Cup titles, including the 2005/06 season's when she won nine World Cup events across all five disciplines and amassed a record points total.

ITN Source | April 20, 2007

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