The 30-year-old boasts both Olympic gold and World Cup victories. Now, the German athlete reveals that the World Championships in Falun will be her last competition.

The Olympic gold medalist from 2022 has made her decision. After eleven years on the World Cup circuit, it’s time to say goodbye. Katharina Hennig Dotzler announced that the upcoming season will be her final one as a competitive cross-country skier.

Following her victory in the national team’s test race, she shared that this decision has given her a new perspective.

“It’s a completely special feeling. It has actually been like this since the start of the season: I constantly know that I’m doing things for the last time. I was aware that this was, for example, my last roller ski race with the national team. You experience everything differently – you enjoy every moment, you take in every feeling,” the 30-year-old told xc-ski.de.

Read More: German cross-country skiing training groups for season 2026/2027

Kept it a secret

The German skiing star reveals that she made this decision before last season. She explains that she has carefully planned her farewell season and will also follow a partially independent training regimen leading up to the season start.

“In October, I will have a private training camp in Tenerife with my husband, my father, and my sister – just like Frida (Karlsson, editor’s note) always does – to challenge ourselves and train there. My sister Hanna won’t train as much as I will, of course, but we’ll have a sort of family training,” says Hennig Dotzler.

“I decided this last year to do something special, and that’s how it will be.”

Aiming for the World Championships

The 30-year-old from Oberwiesenthal in Saxony has participated in three Olympics and five World Championships. At the 2022 Olympics, she won gold in the team sprint alongside Victoria Carl and silver in the relay. She also has silver and bronze medals in the relay from the 2023 and 2025 World Championships.

Now, the World Championship in Falun in February is her main goal, and after several challenging seasons marked by injuries and illness, she hopes for a resurgence in her final championship.

“The first goal is, of course, to participate, and then I hope to arrive in better shape than last winter. Everything depends on health, of course. So far, things have been going well. I also hope to get through the winter well and be able to perform more consistently,” says Hennig Dotzler.

She has the highest expectations for the relay, where she has been part of the team that won silver and bronze in the last two World Championships.

“I definitely want to race in the relay to compete for a medal again. We’ve seen that it’s always close – sometimes it’s the others celebrating, and other times it’s us,” she says.

After her victory in the test race, Hennig Dotzler is cautiously optimistic.

“I know it doesn’t mean much yet. But it’s definitely motivating, even though we’re in July and winter is still far away. I’ve experienced performing poorly in the summer and then shining in the winter, but of course, results like this confirm that the training and preparation are going well.”

At the same time, she emphasizes that the journey to the Falun World Championships will be equally important.

“I will enjoy every single day.”

Also Read: FIS unveils 2026/2027 cross-country skiing World Cup calendar

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