Swimming star Felix Auböck ends career: an emotional farewell!

Swimming star Felix Auböck ends career: an emotional farewell!

USA - The swimming star Felix Auböck announced his end of his career on April 14, 2025. The 28-year-old announced this in an emotional explanation in which he shared his doubts about the motivation and conviction for his sport. Auböck, who moved to his girlfriend Catie Deloof in the USA a few weeks ago, had intensively prepared for the World Championships in Singapore in summer. Nevertheless, he no longer felt able to achieve his previous level of performance and finally decided to leave competitive sport behind and to enter the professional world. He plans to complete his studies as quickly as possible after the decision to end his career was not easy and was weighed up for a long time. He originally wanted to say goodbye to his colleagues at the World Championships, but finally prevailed.

The decision to end a career in competitive sports is an enormous challenge for many athletes. The emotional stress, as Kerbi McKnight from the University of Lethbridge describes, can be "very stressful" and "traumatic". For many athletes, retreat from the active competition also means the loss of their sporting identity, which can be perceived as disorienting. Experts recommend that athletes can be supported by qualified consultants to facilitate the transition to the world of work.

The transition to the world of work

Felix Auböck is now faced with the task of finding new career paths. The transferability of his skills, such as discipline, teamwork and resilience, will be an advantage. Dr. Jack Lesyk emphasizes in the "nine mental skills of successful athletes" that qualities such as self -motivation, realistic objectives and dealing with emotions are applicable in various professional situations, for example in interviews or presentations. In this context, it is interesting to see how other former athletes have mastered the transition.

An example is the two -time Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, who opened a café after her sports career. Holmes underlines the parallels between sport and business, especially in the areas of planning, surveillance and the pursuit of success. These experiences can be a valuable source of inspiration for Auböck and other athletes, while they go into a new professional reality.

The path from competitive sports to work is often associated with uncertainties, but with the right support and the acquired skills, many athletes can successfully accept new challenges. Auböck's decision shows that it is not just about sport, but also about mental health and personal satisfaction in the further course of life. The transition to the new phase of life is often complicated, but also a way to discover new passions and use its talents in a different context.