Götschl gives birth to a daughter

Former Austrian skiing ace Renate Götschl gave birth to daughter Lara-Sophie yesterday (Sun).

Götschl, father Hannes Kargl and Lara-Sophie, who is 54 centimetres long and weighs 3.316 kilos, were all said to be doing well.

Götschl, 34, retired from competitive skiing last August after becoming pregnant, giving up her plans to ski at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

After she learned she was pregnant, she said: "I was surprised by the news I am pregnant. But it was a wonderful surprise and a perfect way to say farewell to World Cup skiing. From now on I will focus on my private life," she said, adding that she was due to give birth in spring.

There had been speculation for some time that she might retire after a relatively bad 2008/09 season and increasingly frequent comments that she was getting tired of living out of a suitcase.

Hans Pum, head of the Alpine skiing department at the Austrian Skiing Federation (ÖSV), said: "Renate will not only be missed as a great skier but also as an important part of the team. She was always a role model for young skiers."

She had an illustrious skiing career, winning nine World Championship sand two Olympic medals. She won 46 races, including 24 downhills, earning her the sobriquet Speed Queen, and was twice named sportswoman of the year.

She won the overall World Cup once and the downhill Cup five times. Her career spanned 16 years.

10.03.2010 11:33:19