At 31, Bernadette Schild announces retirement

By Published On: March 14th, 2021Comments Off on At 31, Bernadette Schild announces retirement

After 13 years on the alpine World Cup, Bernadette Schild announced her retirement Sunday. The news comes 11 weeks after the Salzburg native sustained a second cruciate ligament injury in the span of 14 months.

“I just had to ask myself whether I dared to go to the limit and beyond, and the honest answer to that is simply no. That’s why my decision to end my active ski racing career was made a few weeks ago,” Schild said in a statement Sunday.

“I have always enjoyed ski racing, of course, with ambition and determination. I am now taking these qualities with me into a completely new phase of my life and into a completely different professional field. I am very happy to have made a smooth transition into the professional world.”

Schild plans to work in marketing and communications for Berger Feinste Confiserie, her first helmet sponsor.

In 2008, Schild was crowned slalom junior world champion in Formigal, Spain, and the following year she secured silver in the same discipline in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 

In the 2010-11 season, she took the European Cup slalom title, and in 2013, she took second place in Lenzerheide, Switzerland for the first time on the World Cup. In the same year, Schild finished third in slalom, sharing the podium with her sister Marlies in Courchevel, France. Her career is rounded out by five other podium finishes and 11 top-fives. The tech specialist, now 31, took part in the Olympic Winter Games and world championships five times.

“Bernadette Schild has played a decisive role in shaping our technical team for over a decade. She played an important role in the team and will definitely be missing. I wish Bernadette all the best for her future, she will certainly master her new task with determination and enthusiasm, just like in ski racing,” says Christian Mitter, Sports Director of the ÖSV women.

Release courtesy of ÖSV.

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