Overview
- Sander’s retirement was announced by the German ski federation Wednesday, with a formal farewell planned at the German Championships in Axamer Lizum.
- Doctors diagnosed a mitochondrial dysfunction in 2024, a failure in cellular energy production that caused extreme fatigue and led to a ban on competitive sport.
- He said he tried everything to return and now feels better in daily life, yet World Cup racing remains out of reach after his last start in February 2024 in Kvitfjell.
- He departs with downhill silver at the 2021 world championships by a 0.01‑second margin to gold, two World Cup podiums, and about 196 World Cup starts.
- DSV sport director Wolfgang Maier praised him as a pillar of Germany’s speed team, which is turning over as peers Thomas Dreßen, Josef Ferstl, and Romed Baumann have also retired.