FILE PHOTO: Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Downhill - Kitzbuehel, Austria - January 20, 2022 Forerunner, Austria's Marcel Hirscher in action during the men's downhill REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
(Reuters) - Alpine skier Marcel Hirscher announced on Friday he will come out of his retirement to compete at the World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria on Sunday after a five-year absence.
Hirscher, 35, retired in September 2019 as one of Austria's most successful skiers, winning a record eight consecutive overall World Cup titles from 2012 to 2019, along with seven World Championship gold medals and two Olympic titles.
In July the International Ski Federation (FIS) added a wild card option in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup rules, which allowed retired champion skiers to compete in the tournament.
"It was clear to me that I would be racing in FIS races. Then the great option came up and since then we have tried everything to make it possible," Hirscher said in a statement.
"... I'm extremely happy and I'm also really excited. That's why, as I've always said, I only decided at such short notice.
"I'm happy with my physical fitness, I feel younger than when I stopped my career.
"The fact that I don't have as much snow training as I need, that's just because I live a completely different life now, where I have more responsibility."
Earlier in April, Hirscher made an unexpected comeback to the slopes by deciding to represent his mother native's country, the Netherlands, instead of Austria.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru)
