Nov 3 - Switzerland's two-time Olympic gold medallist Michelle Gisin announced her retirement on Tuesday at the age of 32, bringing the curtain down on a glittering career nearly a year after a serious training crash in St Moritz.

The accident led to multiple surgeries on her neck, wrist and knee, and she was forced to miss this year's Milano Cortina Olympics.

One of Switzerland's most successful female ski racers of the modern era, Gisin won Olympic combined gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games before successfully defending the title at the 2022 Beijing Games, where she also captured bronze in the Super-G.

"It was a long process that took place alongside my rehabilitation, but also in the years leading up to it," Gisin said in a statement.

"When I returned to St Moritz in September, I felt a great deal of gratitude — for my health, but first and foremost for all the wonderful moments I was able to experience during my long career.

"Now I'm really looking forward to finally being able to do what I've missed all these years: skiing on the slopes I choose myself." REUTERS