ÖSV Speed Specialist Mirjam Puchner Ends Career at 34

Weeks before the official decision, the athlete had written on Instagram about her internal conflict. "Should I stop or keep racing?" she had asked her followers, announcing she would make a decision by early June. At the press conference, she finally stated that she wanted to "take a step back" after the disappointing results in Cortina. Her head and heart had signaled to her that it was time to let go.

Career Highlights and Statistics

The speed specialist was part of the extended ÖSV World Cup team for over a decade and was considered a specialist in the fast disciplines of downhill and super-G. In total, Puchner competed in 178 World Cup races, achieving two downhill victories. Her last win dates back to March 2019 in Soldeu. Additionally, she has seven third-place finishes to her name – four in downhill and three in super-G.

The Salzburg native celebrated her greatest sporting achievements at major events. At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, she won the silver medal in the super-G. "It is a great privilege to experience a home World Championships. But to win a medal there makes the whole thing even more special," Puchner said in retrospect about her next major triumph.

At the 2025 home World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, the Pongau athlete crowned her career with another silver medal, this time in downhill. The success in her home country was "a great privilege," as she emphasized, and made the performance in Austria "even more special" for her.

Disappointing Farewell in Cortina

The 2025/26 winter, however, was significantly more mixed for the speed specialist. Her only podium finish was a third place in the downhill race in St. Moritz. At the Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, she missed out on a top result by a wide margin: she finished eleventh in the downhill, fourteenth in the team event, and crashed in the super-G. "That made me think," Puchner admitted in retrospect.

As early as 2017, the ÖSV athlete had suffered a severe injury, breaking her tibia and fibula. During treatment, she had her fibula re-severed at her own request and fixed with a plate and screws. "They cut the fibula and then fixed it back with a plate and screws," she recalled. The medical intervention allowed her to return to the World Cup.

Injuries and Comeback

With Puchner's departure, the Austrian women's team loses an experienced pillar in the speed disciplines. Her contemporary Cornelia Hütter, who won bronze in the super-G in Cortina, will, however, compete for another World Cup season and is expected to lead the ÖSV speed group next season. The association thus loses an experienced athlete who shaped the image of Austrian women's speed skiing for years.

Puchner herself cited a loss of motivation and the absence of remaining sporting goals as reasons for her withdrawal. She no longer wants to push herself to the limit on the slopes. She did not initially comment on her plans after her active career at the press conference. It is clear that she will have time in the coming weeks and months to shape her next chapter outside of the World Cup.

Her 34th birthday, which she celebrated in May, coincided with the final weeks of her active career. Puchner sees the decision maturing at this stage of her life as a natural turning point. With the silver medal from Beijing and the second silver from Saalbach, her sporting legacy remains recorded in the history books of ski racing – and the Austrian association must reorganize the speed group for the upcoming winter season.

Sports journalists view the retirement as a logical consequence of a career marked by alternating peaks of performance and setbacks. While the ÖSV leadership has not yet officially commented on the departure, Puchner's exit is considered an open secret in skiing circles. Her Instagram post a few weeks ago had already fueled speculation about a career end.