NEWS
Aged 25! Ski Jumper Surprisingly Ends Career
The American plans to focus on his studies but intends to remain involved in ski jumping.
Surprising career end for the US ski jumping team: Andrew Urlaub has announced his retirement from competitive sports at the age of just 25.
The American had been part of the national squad since 2016, debuted in the Continental Cup in January 2019, and celebrated his World Cup premiere in November 2020.
His best World Cup result came last winter with 27th place on the large hill in Falun.
Focus on Studies
Speaking to the US outlet "Leadertelegram.com", Urlaub explained his decision as follows: "I will always be grateful for the career I had, but in recent years my wishes remained unfulfilled and I found it difficult to enjoy what I was doing."
In the future, the 25-year-old wants to concentrate on his sports medicine studies at the University of Utah.
He intends to remain involved in ski jumping in a different role in the future: "I want to remain connected to ski jumping and give back for what it has given me."
US Team Shrinks Further
For the already small US World Cup team, Urlaub's retirement is another setback. Teammate Decker Dean had already ended his career in April.
This leaves the USA with only four World Cup ski jumpers: Kevin Bickner, Erik Belshaw, Jason Colby, and Tate Frantz.
