Rosie Brennan announces end to World Cup cross-country skiing career

Rosie Brennan, a three-time Olympian during the most successful era for U. S. women's cross-country skiing, announced the end of her career on the sport's highest level at age 37.

"I struggle with the word retirement because I hope to ski and race as long as I possibly can, but my time as a World Cup athlete has come to an end," Brennan wrote . "I continue to battle my health with few answers, and that has taken a toll both physically and mentally. I dreamed of finishing on a high and on my own terms, and I feel some amount of disappointment that this isn’t that.

But something that skiing has given me is a deep appreciation for challenging myself and finding joy in the process of learning, and this year provided plenty of that. " Starting before Christmas 2024, Brennan began feeling symptoms of what became a year-plus health struggle. She dealt with achy joints, soreness and random cramps and estimated she saw at least 10 to 12 doctors.

“Impossible to race as a cross-country skier if you can’t really push hard,” she said last August . “So it’s been very strange. Possibly a post-viral thing.