The long-standing dominator in Nordic combined is retiring: Eric Frenzel has announced his retirement at the end of the season after three Olympic victories and 18 World Championship medals.

"Now it's a good moment to resign. I don't need any more confirmation," said the 34-year-old exceptional talent of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". Frenzel wants to contest his last competition at the end of March in Lahti, Finland.

Recent success at World Championships in Planica

The family man shaped the sport for more than a decade. He celebrated 43 World Cup victories and won the overall World Cup five times in a row between 2013 and 2017. With team silver in Planica - his 18th World Championships medal - Frenzel recently became the most successful athlete at the Nordic World Ski Championships.

"With this medal and this record, my last season is also a round thing. I've achieved everything I wanted to achieve and even surpassed it. It's the right time to stop," said Frenzel in an interview with the online portal "sport.de ". The record makes him "proud and satisfied. It suits me that I can end my active career with such a success".

World Cup debut 16 years ago

The Saxon, who now lives with his family in the Upper Palatinate, made his World Cup debut on January 13, 2007. A few weeks later he celebrated his World Cup premiere in Sapporo. Two years later, at the World Championships in Liberec, silver was awarded in the team competition for the first time. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, he was given the honor of being the German flag bearer.

Frenzel's farewell coincides with that of national coach Hermann Weinbuch, who is also retiring at the end of the season after 27 years in office. "That didn't play a role in my decision. But of course he leaves big footprints, especially for the combination in Germany," said Frenzel about his long-standing sponsor.

future continue in winter sports

After the active career, Frenzel wants to continue to contribute his experience to the sport threatened by the Olympics. "I can't imagine completely disappearing from the scene. I love the combination far too much for that," he emphasized. In his private life, the father of two sons and one daughter wishes "that we as a family stay healthy, make good decisions and lead a happy and contented life away from the ski jumps and cross-country ski runs".