Marcel Hirscher: The surprising confession of a ski hero!

Marcel Hirscher, the living legend of Austrian ski racing, gave intimate insights into his career and retirement in an exclusive ORF documentary. The 35-year-old former ski star admitted that his first career ended due to complete exhaustion: “I was simply burnt out mentally and physically,” Hirscher explained in the program “Doc 1: Marcel”. Despite numerous successes, he was for a long time unaware of the full extent of his achievements. “It’s cool what I’ve achieved…” – it was only after a long break that Hirscher was able to reflect on his achievements and truly appreciate what he had achieved. This time of inner contemplation that he needed was crucial for his comeback.

After a break of over two years, Hirscher returned to professional sport in October 2024 and achieved a promising performance at the World Cup opener in Sölden with the third-best running time in the second round. But the celebration was short-lived: in a very short time he had to deal harshly with setbacks at the slalom in Levi and Gurgl, which were accompanied by criticism from all directions, including his own. This happened before he was seriously injured in training and tore his cruciate ligament. The ORF documentary now provides deeper insights into why Hirscher took on the pressure of the competition in the first place and whether he can really live without the attention of the audience.

A look behind the scenes

In the ORF broadcast, Lisa Gadenstätter asks what motivated the exceptional athlete to return after such a long absence and what pressure he is dealing with. Hirscher himself describes the decisive moment in which he realized: “I can’t do it anymore.” In this exciting documentary, the image that the public previously had of him is broken down; It not only shows the successful alpine skier, but above all the person behind the athlete's mask. With this openness, which became clear during the interview, the audience has the opportunity to see Hirscher in a new light and to understand what psychological challenges are associated with his sporting legacy krone.at and ots.at report.