Kaya Turski announces her retirement from freestyle skiing
Canada's 'queen of slopestyle' steps away after decorated career
Canadian freestyle skier Kaya Turski, dubbed Canada's "queen of slopestyle," announced her retirement from the sport on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old Montreal native won the 2013 slopestyle world championship and collected eight Winter X Games gold medals during her career, but her struggles with head and neck issues ultimately led to her decision to step away.
"I've finally decided that my head is where I absolutely must draw the line," Turski wrote in a first-person essay for CBC Sports. "It's time to give myself the opportunity to heal fully in order to pursue my next dreams and passions."
Injuries dogged Turski throughout her career, including four knee reconstructions, forcing her to take significant time away from the sport. She pulled out of her last event, an X Games ski slopestyle final in January, after crashing during a training session; those X Games, where she finished six points shy of a bronze medal in the ski big air event, were her first in two years.
"I'm not just walking away," Turski wrote. "It has taken a great deal of time to confront and embrace both what my soul and physical body has been asking for."
'I will miss my ski family'
Turski's lone Olympics ended in heartbreaking fashion after dislocating her shoulder during her first qualifying run in Sochi and failing to finish her second run.
"It took me almost two years to forgive myself for not having overcome what I now recognize to be very difficult circumstances," Turski wrote in an earlier first-person essay for CBC Sports.
Turski's skill and perseverance through numerous injuries earned her praise from coaches, teammates and competitors.
"To see how she overcame adversity to reach the podium taught me, as a coach, that it's not over until it's over and that 'I can't' is not an option," Toben Sutherland, slopestyle head coach for Freestyle Canada, said in a press release.
"She is unquestionably the inspiration of the next generation of slopestyle athletes," added retired U.S. freestyle skier Kristi Leskinen.
Former halfpipe teammate Roz Groenewoud supported Turski's decision to retire. "Though I will miss her on the competition circuit, both as a friend and an inspiration, I am glad that she can now focus on healing," Groenewoud said.
"She brings such fire to everything she does so I'm excited to see how she'll set the bar high in all of her new pursuits."
Turski said she plans on sharing her knowledge with the next generation of skiers, especially young athletes. She added that she has no regrets about her decision, even with another Winter Olympics coming up in the next few months.
"I will miss the freedom the sport gave me. I will miss flying through the air. I will miss my ski family, with whom I forged such strong bonds," Turski said in a press release.
"But I was fortunate to have lived the dream."