Dresden short tracker Anna Seidel actually just wanted to take a longer break and decided not to compete this season. Now she surprisingly announced the end of her career in her hometown.
Short tracker Anna Seidel will not return to the World Cup stage again. The 25-year-old announced her resignation late on Saturday evening (March 23, 2024) during the athletes’ gala in her hometown of Dresden.
“I consciously chose this place where everything started 16 years ago. The process took a long time, but I have now come to the point that I am officially ending my active career,” explained Seidel with tears in his eyes.
Injuries were a constant companion
Dresden’s 2023 athlete of the year has not competed in any races this season. However, last autumn she spoke of a “break from competition”. After more than a decade of intensive competitions and daily training, she now realized “that she escaped with a black eye and that the many injuries did not cause any extreme consequential damage.” She didn’t want to “challenge luck any further,” said Seidel, visibly touched on stage im International Congress Center and added: “You should stop when it’s best. I had my most successful season last year, then you can leave the stage like that.”
Three times at the Olympics
Seidel has taken part in three Winter Olympics so far in her career; she was 15 years old at their premiere in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. At this point she was considered an exceptional talent in her sport. She celebrated her last major international success at the European Championships in January 2023. In Gdansk she won bronze over 1,500 meters.
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