Kjetil Jansrud says 21-22 season will likely be his last

Kjetil Jansrud, in an interview with Norwegian media last week, announced the 2021-22 Olympic season will likely be his last. The 35-year-old Viking is already an Olympic gold medalist (2014 super G), a world champion (2019 downhill), and has four small crystal globes to his name. On top on that, he’s won 23 World Cup races.

In the interview, Jansrud made it clear, he expects to retire after the season.

“What I want is that I can say that Kvitfjell will be my last Kvitfjell, so that I can say goodbye to what has been my home arena and the local environment that has meant a lot to me,” he said through translation. 

Jansrud goes on to leave the door slightly ajar, saying if he surprises himself with exceptional results this year then of course he would consider postponing the retirement, “but basically this is my last season,” he said.

Jansrud is coming off an unspectacular season with only a single podium in the Val Gardena super G.

“I finished on the podium once last winter, was close a few times, but then too often very far away. That made people feel insecure because it was an unfamiliar situation,” he said. “But it is also a task to do better again, and that motivates me.”

In the last year, Jansrud also became a family man, celebrating the birth of his daughter, Froya, in July 2020.