To put it in the words of the bloody amazing Michael Jackson:

This is it!

Sadly I have to announce that I’m officially retiring from my professional sports career as a nordic combined athlete.

=> Slovene (SLO) => German (DEU)

Lately my old heart problems have taken me down again. The final diagnosis is that I am suffering from a heart condition, which doesn’t allow me to ski to the max anymore. Without risky surgical interventions I am not able to go back to normal anytime soon. However, the condition can regenerate in the course of years and sports on a normal level is possible and absolutely not dangerous for me, but high level sports is no longer an option. The consequence is that I am putting my health first and retiring from elite sports.

In retrospective I have to say that I was lucky to lead this lifestyle for so many years. It was filled with absolutely amazing moments and experiences, countless travels to places I would have never imagined visiting in my life, meeting absolutely amazing people and having fun all the way. I was able to reach many of my goals and I am very happy to have come this far without any bigger injuries.

But the last three years, since the heart condition appeared first, were filled with worries, troubles, countless doctors appointments and extremely hard times in training and competition as well as an enormous mental challenge to keep going. Therefore I am now taking this step, to prevent any further damage and to be able to go back to a normal life again. The fact that I wished to fulfill my dreams, is also shown in the latest happenings. I always wanted to give 110% and not do half things, also this time, but my body clearly showed me the limits.

This is also the time to thank my family, friends, supporters, coaches, staff and fans for the massive support over the years – I had the f...ing greatest time of my life, doing what I love and enjoying the demanding but also very rewarding lifestyle of a professional sportsman. Therefore, thank you all for making this possible - you rule!

But now it is time for me to close this chapter of my life and open a new page. I am sure I have learned so many lessons from my sports career, which will also help me in the future. It is now time for me to do something else and embark onto new endeavours - wherever the wind will take me. I‘m looking forward to life 2.0, let‘s see what it will bring :)

Keep on rollin’

Yours,

Tomaž Druml