The 2024/25 FIS Ski World Cup is expected to be something of a true spectacle. On October 26, the tournament will return to the iconic Rettenbach glacier in Solden, Austria, to see the women competitors kickstart their World Cup season. But Lara Gut-Behrami won’t be among the racers at the starting line this Saturday.

An Instagram post by the official FIS Ski World Cup account has revealed that the 2022 Winter Olympics gold medalist will be sitting out on the season-opener of skiing’s top-tier competition. “Lara Gut-Behrami will not be starting in the Audi Fis Ski World Cup in Soelden,” reads the caption of the social media update. Since 2000, the pristine mountain of Austria has attracted skiing connoisseurs from around the world to start the World Cup journey. Naturally, anticipation around this particular Giant Slalom is always high, but Gut-Behrami’s fans will have to wait some more before seeing her in action.

In an official statement, the 33-year-old Swiss alpine skiing celebrity has noted that her lack of confidence in her abilities has prompted her to make the decision and opt out of the race. “I’m not feeling 100% and don’t feel ready to race,” Gut-Behrami said. She also noted that her love for the iconic Rettenbach racecourse wasn’t enough to make her the risky decision to compete at the cost of an injury.

“I thought I’d come here with more confidence in myself, but that’s not the case, and I hope to regain it in the coming weeks,” said the skier, who already boasts 45 World Cup wins under her belt. The downhill and Super-G specialist was among the biggest stars and was set to start the new season on a high note, but that doesn’t seem to be happening just yet.

Lara went on to note that the difficult decision came after a lot of consideration and that she had something more pressing on her mind than just competing at Solden. “I’ve always admired athletes who understand their limits, and today is one of those moments where I want to preserve my career,” she said bluntly, underscoring that a prolonged career is worth much more than taking an emotional decision. With her pulling out of the weekend race, the American fans will have another thing to frown about.

Lara Gut-Behrami is the latest to announce skipping the iconic location

The 2024/25 season of the FIS Ski World Cup will go down as historic for many reasons. One of them is certainly the possibility of seeing the enigmatic Mikaela Shiffrin claim her milestone 100th World Cup victory. Returning to action after a horrific knee injury earlier this year. Shiffrin has the fans anticipating hard as to when this seminal moment will happen.

However, Shiffrin’s injury has prompted her to back out from all downhill and Super0G events this year, and she will also be among the stars who will skip the Rettenbach course on Saturday. But fret not, she will be entertaining fans with her mesmerizing skills in the USA later in the tournament. This year, the organizers also have big plans to make the FIS Ski World Cup a memorable one. The FIS will join hands with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to spread more awareness about climate change and how it affects everyone around the world.

FIS President Johan Eliasch alerts that climate change poses a major threat to winter sports. As a measure, this year, the races will happen in several geographic clusters to reduce long-distance travel. But will fans get to watch Lara Gut-Behrami be a part of the noble initiative? Share your predictions in the comments below.