Viktoria Schwarz: From Olympic medals to full-time mother!

Viktoria Schwarz: From Olympic medals to full-time mother!

The world of canoeing has lost one of its biggest stars: Austrian canoe world champion Viktoria Schwarz has announced the end of her career on social media. The 39-year-old from Linz can look back on an impressive sporting career, which includes, among other things, four Olympic participations and 29 World Cup medals. In 2011 she won the gold world title in the two-person kayak with her partner Yvonne Schuring. She originally planned to compete in her final competition at the 2024 Olympics, but the birth of her son Ben Vito in 2022 permanently changed her priorities, like krone.at reported.

After becoming a mother, life as a full-time mother came to the fore. “I thought I could just carry on despite having children – but my priorities have shifted,” Schwarz admits in an interview. The decision to end her career was not easy for her as she would have liked to compete in the Olympic Games for a fifth time. But the grueling training required to compete in the Olympics was incompatible with the needs of a small child. Therefore, she concentrated on national competitions and crowned her sporting career with a state championship title before announcing her retirement, as the UPPER AUSTRIAN reported.

A new phase of life

Viktoria Schwarz describes the joy of being a mother as the most beautiful thing in the world. Her affection for her son, who is already two years old, has completely changed her perspective on life. “The most important thing is that he is doing well,” she emphasizes. However, with a bachelor's degree and a Master of Business Administration, she plans to use her speaking skills to give motivational speeches. Despite the challenges of being a mother and the demands of competitive sports, Schwarz is excited about the new opportunities that lie ahead and wants to pass on values ​​such as discipline and perseverance.