Giulia Steingruber, the most decorated Swiss gymnast in history, has announced her retirement.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ts
“My head and my body are tired,” she said at a press conference on Friday in her hometown of Gossau, northeastern Switzerland. The decision was not a surprise; she had hinted at it after the recent Tokyo Olympics.
The 27-year-old vault specialist explained that the past five years had been difficult, with various injuries and the death of her sister, who had been severely disabled since birth.
Steingruber was the first Swiss woman to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics, finishing third in the vault in Rio in 2016. In Brazil she also had the honour of carrying the Swiss flag at the opening ceremony.
She also won bronze at the World Championships, in 2017, as well as six golds at the European Championships.
She won her last European title on the vault this April in Basel, despite a muscle tear in her thigh suffered a few days before the competition. It was her tenth medal at the European Championships.
Down to earth
Despite her success, Steingruber always remained modest and down to earth, according to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA.
She learnt early on to address problems and to stand up for herself and defend herself – politely but firmly. This, it said, is probably why she never experienced verbal or physical abuse in the harsh environment of elite gymnastics, which has been plagued by allegations of abuse.
This content was published on
Trainers for the Swiss Gymnastics Federation’s women’s team have resigned en masse following an ethics investigation into psychological abuse.
This content was published on
Sophie Hediger, a member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team, has died in an avalanche in Arosa. She was 26 years old.
This content was published on
Several Swiss films exceeded the 100,000 admissions mark worldwide in 2024 and received widespread praise at international film festivals.
Swiss Alpine resorts covered in white gold for Christmas
This content was published on
Many areas at low altitudes in Switzerland are enjoying a blanket of snow. In the mountains, intense precipitation has delighted skiers.
SWISS makes emergency landing in Austria after smoke in cockpit
This content was published on
Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) made an emergency landing of an Airbus in Graz, Austria on Monday evening after engine problems.
L’Oréal acquires South Korean subsidiary of Migros’ cosmetics brand
This content was published on
French cosmetics firm L'Oréal is acquiring Gowoonsesang Cosmetics, the South Korean subsidiary of the Migros-owned Mibelle group, for an undisclosed sum.
Sharp hike in number of protected historic monuments in Switzerland
This content was published on
In 2022, there were close to 91,000 protected historic monuments in Switzerland, 21% more than in 2016, said the Federal Statistical Office.
Switzerland adopts further EU sanctions against Russia
This content was published on
Switzerland has added several dozen names to its list of sanctioned persons or entities from Russia after adopting the amendments made by the European Union.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss gymnastics legend Jack Günthard dies
This content was published on
Günthard won Olympic Gold on the horizontal bar in 1952 and was known for his 1970’s television programme “Fit with Jack”.
This content was published on
The 76th edition of the Federal Gymnastics Festival in Aarau, northern Switzerland, ended on Sunday with a colourful closing ceremony.
This content was published on
The popular 23-year-old from Lucerne, who was named Swiss Sportswoman of the Year a record three times in a row from 2008-2010, said she was struggling to reach the physical fitness needed for a professional athlete. “Ultimately I would no longer have been able to compete in top-level sport. That would have meant that I…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.