Hailey Swirbul ended her traditional cross-country skiing career at the World Cup level two years before the World Championships in Trondheim, where she made her FIS debut.

Hailey Swirbul (24) from the USA has decided to retire from the World Cup racing ten years after she made her FIS debut at the Granåsen Ski Arena, in Trondheim, Norway, during the Nordic Junior National Championships in 2013. 

The skiers that Swirbul met that time in her first FIS race are primarily the same ones she has competed against ever since. On the results list from Swirbul’s first FIS race are Norwegian national team skiers such as Marte Skaanes, Julie Myhre, Ane Appelkvist Stenseth, Lotta and Tiril Udnes Weng, the Finnish national team stars Johanna Matintalo and Jasmi Joensuu, as well as the Swedish Pro Tour Ida Dahl, who now focuses mainly on long-distance skiing.

Ten Years At The Top Level

Since her debut in Granåsen, Swirbul has participated in two World Championships, first in Oberstdorf in 2021 and then this winter in Planica, as well as the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. She has started 55 individual World Cup races and was on the podium in one of them, in the 10km freestyle event in Davos in 2020. She has also been on the World Cup podium in the team relay, most recently in Toblach, just before the World Championships in Planica, where the USA Team finished third. 

“The thought of voluntarily stepping away from a huge part of my identity absolutely terrifies me, but I know in my heart that I’m ready to prioritize other values in my life. I’m not exactly sure what’s next, so I am going to allow myself the space to lean into newer passions and chase new goals while remaining open to what life has to offer,” writes Swirbul on her Instagram account after the World Cup final in Lahti on Sunday, and continued: 

“Ski racing has had its challenges for me, but it has been a blessing that I wouldn’t change for the world. This community and lifestyle has pushed me, shaped me, and allowed me a safe place to grow as a person and chase after big dreams.”

Holmenkollen 50km

Swirbul was one of the 32 women who raced the first World Cup 50km for women in Holmenkollen two weeks ago. There she finished 13th and was proud and happy after a satisfying race.

“That was so cool to ski my first ever 50k on an iconic course in Holmenkollen, celebrating the true spirit of ski racing with us women competing in our first World Cup 50k EVER. What a gift! I will cherish the memory forever. Thank you all who made this happen. It turns out women are just fine racing 50 kilometers. Let it be known! We can all do hard things,” wrote Swirbul in another Instagram post.

“It was a great experience to race the tough course together with so many strong and inspiring women and to be able to help write cross-country skiing history,” Swirbul told Langrenn.com after the finish in Holmenkollen.” 

She believes such races have an important place on the schedule and hopes they will remain. 

“I hope there will be more 50km races like this in the future and that more skiers will prioritize them. This time, many probably thought it came very close after the World Championships. Yes, 50km is hard, but for me, this is the king distance, as my coach used to call it. This is the soul of cross-country skiing and, in many ways, the reason why we do cross-country skiing,” said Swirbul. 

Also read – Jessie Diggins: “Sadly, Johaug Did Not Get To Experience This” 

In addition to entirely focusing on cross-country skiing, the 24-year-old is committed to recruiting women to the sport, not least keeping them in it. She will continue with that. 

“I love this sport more than ever. I still want to be part of this environment, but in slightly different ways,” concludes Hailey Swirbul.