After almost 20 years at World Cup level, four Olympic and four World Championships medals, the 37-year-old French legend is retiring after Sunday’s 50km race at Holmenkollen.

Maurice Manificat will compete in World Cup race number 273 this weekend, but the 50km race in Holmenkollen will be his last. The 37-year-old Frenchman will retire on Sunday, March 10, 2024. 

Manificat announced the news on his Instagram account on Wednesday evening. 

“I’ve been through almost every battle of my generation. As a kid, I never dreamed of becoming a cross-country skiing star,” Manificat writes.

Manificat will be remembered primarily for the relays. Of his eight major championship medals, four from the Olympics and four from the World Championships, he only has one individual one: from the 2015 World Championships in Falun, where he took silver in the 15-kilometer freestyle.

Few would have expected Maurice Manificat to be part of the French relay team at the 2022 Olympics. But without the experienced skier, France would likely have been left without any cross-country medals at the championships. 

And it’s the relay achievements that Manificat is most proud of. 

“I value the Olympic and World Championships relays the most. Those medals mean more to me than any individual achievement. Throughout my long career, I have many memories. But the ones that matter most are the intense memories I share with others. Thank you to this team,” Manificat writes. 

Despite poor results last year, the 37-year-old gained renewed confidence from the national team ahead of this year’s season, but as part of the B team. 

Read More: The 37-year-old is confident of a return to World Cup level

Manificat went for a total return to the World Cup level this season. He qualified back into the World Cup squad via the Alpen Cup (equivalent to the Scandinavian Cup) and the French National Cup. He made the Tour de Ski squad. He then competed in the World Cup in Goms in January. Now, the veteran is ready for the 50km race in Holmenkollen, his very last World Cup race.

See the complete program for the Holmenkollen World Cup below.

FACTS Holmenkollen & Drammen World Cups Season 2023/2024

• When: Saturday, March 9 to Sunday, March 10 (Holmenkollen
• Who: Elite national skiers – women and men
• Where: Oslo, Norway
• What: FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Oslo, Norway

PROGRAM

Saturday, March 9: 50km Mass Start Classic W (More details can be found here)

• 10:30 CET: 50km Mass Start C, Women

Sunday, March 10: 50km Mass Start Classic M (More details can be found here)

• 10:30 CET: 50km Mass Start C, Men

Read More: World Cup calendar for the 2023/2024 Winter Season  

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