Some people's dream of ending their career turns into a nightmare
Biathlete Denise Herrmann-Wick has the perfect farewell to the sport: she retires from the big stage at her home World Championships with gold and two silver medals. Things are also going great for Eric Frenzel, who immediately switches sides. Triathlete Jan Frodeno is probably a little disappointed, but others are really disappointed.
Eric Frenzel didn't quite make it. The Olympic champion will stay on as coach of his Nordic combined team, but his active career is over. "Now is a good time to retire," said Frenzel in March after his 18th World Championship medal, after which it was over. As for so many others.
Big names have left the sporting stage in 2023. In addition to the combi king Frenzel, triathlon hero Jan Frodeno, biathlete and former cross-country skier Denise Herrmann-Wick, luge idol Natalie Geisenberger, soccer magician Mesut Özil and Tom Brady, the greatest of all time (GOAT) in American football.
Not all of them proved to have a golden touch with their farewells. Brady, for example, should have stayed strong after his first retirement the previous year, instead of doing it in reverse 40 days later. But even though his 23rd and final NFL season was a flop, the US professional league lost its most successful player in history in the quarterback. After six Super Bowl victories with the New England Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady drew an emotional and, this time, final line via Instagram video in the spring.
Özil would have been better off quitting years ago
Frodeno had also imagined the last race of his picture-book career to be completely different. The 2008 Olympic champion gave his all once again for his fourth Ironman World Championship triumph, but the "Gladiator" went down in the heat of Nice. "The lions got me today after all," said Frodeno after his 24th place in September. At the end of "an unbelievable journey", the former dominator was simply grateful for what he had achieved. And his buddy and long-time opponent Sebastian Kienle also said goodbye; at the triathlon gala in Frankfurt at the end of the year, they still had to go through several battles, including holding up a beer mug.
For Özil, the perfect time to end his career in retrospect would probably have been after the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil. The artist celebrated his heyday at Real Madrid and the 2010 and 2014 World Cup finals with the DFB team; on a good day, his game was pure magic. However, Özil's inappropriate closeness to the autocratic Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - at least from a German perspective - is also part of the story. A photo with "his president" shortly before the 2018 World Cup and the subsequent disaster tarnished his career. Five years later, he quit.
Frenzel is already back with his old team
Others, however, found the right time. Luge queen Geisenberger didn't just want to quit "when it's at its best". Above all, she wanted to be "where it's most beautiful. At home with my family!". Geisenberger wrote this on an Instagram photo showing her with her trophies. And she has quite a few. With six gold and one bronze medal, Geisenberger is the most successful German Winter Olympian in history. She has also won nine world championship titles and the overall World Cup eight times. Alongside Geisenberger, record doubles world champions Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken also ended their active careers on the ice track.
Biathlete and former cross-country skier Denise Herrmann-Wick retired after her Olympic triumph in the singles as well as gold and two silver medals at the home World Championships in Oberhof. As an expectant mother, she has moved into new territory. And three-time Olympic combined champion Frenzel also left, only to return straight afterwards in a new role. Successful national coach Hermann Weinbuch also stepped down at the end of the season after 27 years, paving the way for Frenzel's new career.
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Mesut Özil, the soccer magician, faced controversy with his close ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, tarnishing his career after a photo with "his president" before the 2018 World Cup and the subsequent team's disappointing performance. Despite this, Tom Brady, the GOAT in American football, managed a successful farewell despite a rocky retirement, winning his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the world of winter sports, Biathlon saw the retirement of Denise Herrmann-Wick, who ended her career with an Olympic title and multiple medals at the home World Championships. Meanwhile, Mesut Özil's former teammate, Triathlete Jan Frodeno, had a different experience, with his fourth Ironman World Championship triumph turning sour in the heat, resulting in a 24th place finish and a tearful farewell to the sport.
Source: www.ntv.de
