Niels Hintermann, last season’s World Cup downhill champion at Kvitfjell, Norway, will miss the 2024/25 racing season. However, what Hintermann revealed in his announcement video turned out to be far more tragic than anyone could’ve anticipated. “Dear Skiing Friends. Unfortunately, I won’t bring any good news today.” said the skier.

“I was diagnosed with lymph node cancer last week,” the 29-year-old said in his Instagram video. While the FIS Ski World Cup will kick off on October 26, by then the alpine skiing champion will have started treatment. The news devastated the entire community, who poured their support in the comments section.

“Sending all our strength and positive energy from the entire Atomic family. We’re with you through these next weeks and months—stay strong!” commented Australian skiing equipment brand Atomic Ski. Thankfully, not everything about the announcement was grim, as the competitive skier will jump into treating the cancer immediately.

“I am starting eight weeks of chemo and subsequent radiation therapy next week.” said the athlete from Zürich, Switzerland. The 29-year-old had some more good news for the community and his fans. “According to specialists, this type of cancer is fortunately curable,” revealed Hintermann. The skiing champion hopes chemo and radiation therapy will be all he needs.

While the cancer diagnosis left everyone concerned, members of the community were happy to see Hintermann’s confidence. “Alles Gute (All good) Niels…” commented fellow competitive skier Dominik Paris. The FIS Ski World Cup competitor hopes everything will go as planned for his fellow skier. Hintermann may have also been lucky with an early diagnosis.

That’s because the skier didn’t exhibit any physical issues. Instead, he noticed a lump in his neck while training for the upcoming World Cup season. A consultation and a few tests later, the athlete got the grim news. However, the future looks hopeful, and even those outside the skiing community offered positive thoughts.

The sporting community came together to support the skiing champion

While Niels Hintermann won’t be competing in the FIS Ski World Cup, he may be in for the toughest ordeal of his life. “Gute Besserung Cinghi! (Good luck to you!) All the best and come back stronger!” commented soccer analyst Beni Huggel. While the diagnosis came as a shock for the Swiss athlete, he is also hopeful after learning about the odds from his doctors.

“We are now very positive and incredibly happy that the chances of healing are so good,” Hintermann said in the video. Even Team Norway sent positive thoughts his way. “Cute Besserung, Niels. We already look forward to having you back next year,” wrote the official social media handle of Team Norway. After all, Hintermann was the one co captured the downhill title at Norway.

“Best wishes for your recovery!!” wrote one alpine skiing enthusiast. The Downhill and Super-G specialist is also looking to make recovery his priority. Eight weeks of chemotherapy is certain to take its toll and he would have to skip this season. However, the 29-year-old is optimistic about returning to completion during the 2025/26 skiing season. However, only time will how long it takes the competitive athlete to recover. Thankfully, the skier has promised the community further updates about his treatment in the following weeks and months.