The 2011 overall World Cup champion rounded off her career of 13 years with a third Olympic gold medal at Sochi 2014 in the combined, as well as silver in the super-G.

"My decision is to end my career now," Höfl-Riesch, who won gold in the combined and slalom at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, said today.

"One should quit when it's the best and that [Sochi 2014] was the best that could have happened to me.

"My dream came true once again.

"It was a dream-like career, I was at the top in all disciplines over the years."

The announcement comes after the athlete fell in Lenzerheide last week in the last downhill event of the season, but despite the accident - which landed her in hospital for treatment for a shoulder injury - still won the World Cup title in the discipline.

Maria Höfl-Riesch became Germany's most successful Olympic alpine skier in a career spanning 13 years ©Getty Images


Höfl-Riesch is also a two-time world champion, taking the combined title in Schladming last year and the slalom title in Val-d'Isère in 2009.

She also won four bronze world medals in the super-G and downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2011, and downhill and team in 2013.

On the World Cup circuit, Höfl-Riesch had 27 wins and 81 podium finishes, and, as well as her 2011 overall title and this year's downhill victory, she won season titles in super-G, super combined and twice in slalom.

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