Two-time Canoe Slalom Olympic medallist Hannes Aigner of Germany has announced his retirement from the sport.
“A special journey is coming to an end - I will end my active time as a competitive athlete in canoeing,” he wrote on social media.
“The decision was not easy for me, because I still like to do the sport.
“There are already fixed plans. What comes next, I will report on in a timely manner.”
Originally, the Augsburg-born athlete planned to bid farewell at the 2025 International Canoe Federation Slalom World Championships in Sydney, Australia, but an injury changed his plans.
Nevertheless, Aigner is pleased he could say goodbye to the sport he loves in front of a home crowd at the 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Series Final last month.
“At that time, it was not yet clear that I would end my career,” he was quoted as saying by the German Olympic Committee.
“Of course, I would have liked to say goodbye to the fans and the competition, but in retrospect, I am grateful for having played my last race in front of a home crowd.”
Aigner won the first of his Olympic K1 bronze medals in his Games debut at London 2012, before narrowly missing out on the podium and finishing fourth at Rio 2016.
The 36-year-old came back strongly to add to his Olympic tally at the postponed Games in Tokyo.
Despite the disappointment in Rio, he was crowned K1 world champion in the Brazilian city in 2018.
Aigner, who has three K1 teams World Championships gold medals to his name, has also been successful at the junior and U23 level in Europe and at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup series.
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He started 2025 with a K1 teams gold medal for Germany in the European Championships at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
Despite retiring, Aigner will be cheering on the German athletes from home as they tackle the waters at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium until October 4.
“Given the time difference of eight hours, I don't know exactly which races I will see live,” he said.
“But I'm looking forward to cheering from home.
“I know what pressure the athletes are under right now, and it's okay for me to follow this from a distance instead of feeling this pressure myself.”
