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Jørgen Graabak joins list of Norway winter sports stars to retire year before Milan Cortina Olympics

Jørgen Graabak, whose four Olympic gold medals are a Nordic combined record, is the latest winter sports star from Norway to retire a year before the Milan Cortina Games.

Graabak, 34, previously posted that he had competed in his final World Championships this past winter in his hometown of Trondheim, Norway.

Worlds are held in odd-numbered years, so at the time there was still a chance he would compete one more season and bid for a fourth Olympics in 2026.

But Graabak decided to end his career immediately, after putting his 3-year-old son, Johannes, to bed on Sunday, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

“I have spent a lot of time at his bedside reflecting after he has fallen asleep in recent weeks,” he said, according to a translation of the report.

Graabak’s reflections included writing a letter to Johannes and his newborn son, Noah, according to NRK.

“The time has come for me to put my skis on the shelf and be allowed to be a support system on your path towards your goals, wherever that path may lead,” the letter read in part. “That is for you to decide, and I will be there. I am looking forward to it.”

Graabak won individual large hill and team event gold at the Olympics in 2014 and 2022, plus team silver in 2018 and individual normal hill silver in 2022.

He won his first individual World Championships medal this season, silver in the large hill event in Trondheim on March 8. He ranked 15th in the season World Cup standings.

Jarl Magnus Riiber, Norway’s other Nordic combined superstar, announced in January that he was retiring after the 2024-25 season.

Johannes Thingnes Bø and Tarjei Bø, brothers who are Olympic champion biathletes, also retired after this past season.

Therese Johaug, who had retired in 2022 after winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, had announced that her comeback for the 2024-25 season was for one season only.

Then in April, Johaug said that she would take time to mull whether to extend the comeback for 2025-26. She is expected to announce her decision on Monday.

Norway won the most medals at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics. It also won the most medals in Olympic program events over all the winter sports world championships this season — 43 total and 17 gold, which would both break the Olympic records (held by Norway) if duplicated at the Milan Cortina Games.

Graabak, Riiber, the Bø brothers and Johaug combined to win nine individual medals, including four golds, at 2025 World Championships.