Kristin Stoermer Steira (NOR) retires after 12 years on the cross-country World Cup circuit.
The 33-year-old announced her decision on Monday, following several seasons of injuries and illness, the most recent just prior to the 2015 World Championships in Falun and sidelined her from racing the 30km there.
“I’ve experienced so much as a cross-country skier and I love ski racing, but time has come to find a new track. And that won’t be a ski track,” Steira said in a press release on Monday.
“I feel privileged to have had the chance to work with the best ski racers and coaches in the world. There have been rough times, sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears too, but those are valuable experiences that I will carry with me,” Steira said.
And she will be missed, both by her teammates and the coaching staff.
“I am sad to see her quit now. Kristin and I have been teammates since 2003, so it will be strange to continue without her, but I respect her decision. She has meant so much to me, both as a teammate on the course, and as a friend outside the track, and she has been an important part of Norwegian cross-country skiing for over a decade,” Marit Bjoergen said to TV2 after Steira’s announcement.
“Kristin is not only a solid skier. She is a fantastic person with a great personality and contributes to a positive atmosphere wherever she goes,” national team director Aage Skinstad said.
During her career, Steira earned an Olympic gold medal, three World Championship gold medals and four Norwegian national championship titles.
Steira first entered the World Cup circuit in 2002, when she raced the 30km classic event on home turf in Holmenkollen.
Steira helped Norway to gold in the relays at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, as well as at the 2005, the 2011 and the 2+13 World Championships. Individual medals include silver medals in the 15km at the 2009 World Championships and the 30km at the 2007 World Championships, and the bronze medal in the 30km at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
Steira was also well known for her fourth-place finishes. During the 2006 Olympics in Torino, she collected three of them in less than two weeks.
Steira has raced on Madshus equipment for years, and will be deeply missed.
“Kristin has been and will continue to be a great ambassador for us,” said Per Wiik, Global Marketing Manager at Madshus.