Mathieu Faivre announces retirement: three-time world champion calls time on illustrious career
French ski racer Mathieu Faivre announced his retirement on Wednesday, just ten days before the season-opening giant slalom in Sölden. At 33, the triple world champion brings the curtain down on over fifteen years competing at the highest level of alpine skiing.
Born in Nice and trained at Isola 2000, Faivre leaves behind an impressive palmares headlined by three world championship titles. His career peak came at the 2021 World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where he claimed gold in both giant slalom and parallel giant slalom. He had also captured the team event world title in St. Moritz in 2017.
On the World Cup circuit, the French giant slalom specialist tallied two victories and ten podium finishes, all in his signature discipline. His maiden World Cup triumph came in December 2016 at Val d'Isère, in front of home crowds.
At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Faivre completed his collection with bronze in the giant slalom behind Switzerland's Marco Odermatt and Slovenia's Žan Kranjec. It was precisely after this Olympic success that the Frenchman's motivation began to wane. "Right after that Olympic medal, it was as if everything suddenly fell away," he admitted.
The past two seasons proved challenging for the skier from the French Riviera, marked by injuries, equipment changes, and disappointing results. Last winter, he failed to qualify for a second run in any of the six giant slaloms he contested. This drop in form cost him his place on the French team last spring.
In his retirement video posted on social media, Faivre expressed a sense of fulfillment, feeling he had accomplished everything he set out to achieve, leaving a legacy that will inspire future generations of French skiing.