Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Slalom - Soldeu, Andorra - March 19, 2023 Norway's Lucas Braathen celebrates with the globe trophy on the podium after becoming the new world champion REUTERS/Albert Gea
(Reuters) - Norway's reigning World Cup slalom champion Lucas Braathen announced his surprise retirement at the age of 23 on Friday, the eve of the new Alpine ski season, and said he felt free for the first time in years.
"I retire. I told my team mates yesterday," the winner of five World Cup races told reporters in the Austrian resort of Soelden where he took the first win of his career in a giant slalom in 2020.
"I'm done. I am a person that has always followed my own dreams and what makes me the happiest...for the first time in at least half a year, I'm happy after making this decision. For the first time in years, I feel free.
"I'm going to go on my little journey on my own now to try to find out what my next journey is, and I'm so excited for that," added the skier, who has a Brazilian mother and attracted attention with his painted nails and colourful clothing.
The news, which followed reported disputes between the skier and the Norwegian federation over image rights, stunned his compatriots.
"I received word of Lucas's decision just before the press conference began, and this came as a complete surprise to both me and the rest of the support team," Eurosport quoted the Norwegian Alpine sports director Claus Johan Ryste as saying.
The season starts in Soelden on Saturday with a women's giant slalom, followed by the men on Sunday.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond)
