His career record includes three World Cup victories, ten podium finishes and a World Championship bronze medal. Yet just as remarkable as his sporting achievements was the determination he showed in battling back from a devastating training accident in November 2022.
An emotional farewell after years of adversity
Franz announced his retirement on Sunday evening in a personal statement on Instagram. “Ski racing was my life,” wrote the former Austrian national team member as he reflected on a career filled with memorable highs and painful setbacks.
The decision was far from easy for the 37-year-old. Even after his serious accident in the United States, he had never abandoned his ambition of returning to the highest level of the sport.
In his farewell message, Franz recalled the numerous crashes, operations and rehabilitation programmes he had endured. Despite everything, he had always tried to fight his way back. Only now had the time finally come to bring his competitive career to an end.
Three World Cup victories and World Championship bronze
Franz made his World Cup debut in Lake Louise in November 2009. Three years later, he claimed his first podium finish on the very same course, finishing second in the downhill.
The Klagenfurt native celebrated his maiden World Cup victory on 17 December 2016 in the prestigious Val Gardena downhill. On the demanding Saslong course, he prevailed against the world’s leading speed specialists and firmly established himself among the elite of downhill skiing.
Just a few weeks later came arguably the greatest achievement of his career. At the 2017 World Championships in St. Moritz, Franz claimed the bronze medal in the downhill.
The opening weeks of the 2018/19 season were another particularly successful period. He first triumphed in the Lake Louise downhill before winning the super-G in Beaver Creek just one week later.
In total, Franz reached the World Cup podium ten times, six in downhill and four in super-G. An Olympic medal eluded him, with his best result coming in the super-G at Sochi 2014, where he finished sixth.
A career repeatedly disrupted by serious injuries
Franz’s career was also marked by recurring physical setbacks.
In 2016, he suffered several injuries in a crash at Kitzbühel. Three years later, he fractured his heel bone on the notorious Streif course and was forced to end his season prematurely.
His most serious accident, however, occurred on 13 November 2022 during downhill training at Copper Mountain in the US state of Colorado.
Franz crashed heavily and fractured both lower legs. The injury to his left leg was particularly complicated, involving extensive nerve damage.
Numerous operations followed. For a time, the former World Cup winner was confined to a wheelchair, and even ordinary everyday movements became a challenge.
Under those circumstances, a return to competitive skiing seemed almost unimaginable.
Val Gardena comeback becomes a personal triumph
Franz, however, was determined not to let an accident dictate the end of his career. He spent more than three years working towards a comeback, completing countless rehabilitation sessions and gradually finding his way back to competitive skiing.
In February 2025, he was already back on skis as a forerunner at the World Championships on home snow in Saalbach. In December of that year, he finally earned the opportunity to compete in another World Cup race.
Fittingly, his return came in Val Gardena, the very venue where he had celebrated his first World Cup victory nine years earlier.
From a sporting perspective, the downhill ended in disappointment when a mistimed jump forced him out of the race. For Franz, however, simply being back at the start carried enormous significance.
“That moment will forever remain one of the most precious of my life,” he said when reflecting on his comeback.
Before returning to competition, he had already told Austrian broadcaster ORF that he wanted to demonstrate what the human body could achieve with sufficient belief and determination.
His body finally sets the limits
A lasting comeback ultimately proved impossible. Further physical problems and additional medical procedures prevented Franz from making any more World Cup appearances.
In May 2026, his name was absent from the Austrian Ski Federation’s squad lists. Nevertheless, he continued working on his fitness and initially kept open the possibility of another return.
Now he has made the final decision to retire.
“I never gave up,” Franz emphasised in his farewell statement. At the same time, he acknowledged that even the greatest determination eventually encounters physical limits.
He concluded by thanking his family, doctors, coaches, physiotherapists, support staff, sponsors and fans who had accompanied him throughout his career. With the words “Farewell, racing,” Franz finally said goodbye to competitive skiing.
What remains are three World Cup victories, a World Championship medal and the remarkable story of a racer who, even after suffering the most serious injuries, managed to fight his way back to the start gate of a World Cup race.
