Tina Maze decides on 1-year break from ski racing

In a message posted on her personal website, Olympic, World, and past overall World Cup champion Tina Maze of Slovenia announced Thursday that she will take a one-year break from ski competition in order to assess her future participation in the sport.

“After 16 long and successful seasons, practicing all disciplines, I feel that my body and my mind need a longer rest than usual. I will allow myself a one year break before taking any further decision,” Maze wrote. “I will use this opportunity to finish my degree and give some of my time for marketing and communication activities to my partners Stöckli, Milka, Fila, Alpina Watches, Feel Slovenia, Zlatarna Celje and other projects that I have in mind.”

Maze completed the 2015 season with three medals from the Vail-Beaver Creek World Championships (gold in downhill and alpine combined, silver in super G) and finished as runner-up in the overall World Cup standings, just 22 points shy of winner Anna Fenninger of Austria.

“I would like here to sincerely thank you for your support all these years and I hope that you understand and respect my decision,” Maze continued in her message to the media. “I will let you know about the future developments and wish you a nice summer.”

The four-time World Champion and double Olympic gold medalist from Sochi amassed the highest number of World Cup points ever accumulated in a single season in 2013 when she broke Hermann Maier’s previous record of 2,000 points by finishing with 2,414.