How Severin Freund reacted to Kamil Stoch’s retirement decision: a telling response

Kamil Stoch has decided that the current season will be his last as an active ski jumper, with his retirement to come after the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The decision has drawn reactions abroad. Speaking to Sport.pl, former German star and current ZDF expert Severin Freund responded with respect and optimism about Stoch’s chances.

“I think Kamil is doing the right thing. He is giving everything to this challenge. In such a situation you never know what might happen,” Freund said. He emphasized Stoch’s exceptional profile: “Kamil is a competitor you can never write off. He can always find something in his jumping and be competitive at the Olympics. We’ve seen it before—he didn’t score at the Four Hills Tournament and then fought for medals in Beijing three years ago. He was very close.”

Freund, who ended his own career in 2022, understands the timing. One of Germany’s top jumpers of the 21st century, he won Olympic team gold in Sochi 2014, the overall Crystal Globe in 2014/15, and seven World Championship medals, and now works as a television expert. He pointed to the constant adjustments athletes face due to evolving rules and equipment.

“We have guys like Karl Geiger and Andreas Wellinger—and globally, athletes like Kamil Stoch—who are continually adapting to what’s happening in ski jumping. The feel for the jump is something you have deep inside; it’s really hard to change, especially quickly,” he explained.

Freund also offered advice on ending a career: “For anyone retiring, I would recommend taking care of the period after you’ve done it. Don’t rush into your next chapter. Give yourself—your body and mind—time to process everything and settle down.”