Australian Olympic snowboarder Belle Brockhoff has announced her competitive career is over after injuries forced the champ into retirement just weeks ahead of her next Olympics.
The 33-year-old out athlete is the first Australian woman to win a snowboard cross World Cup gold medal, one of Brockhoff’s 17 podium finishes. She also won the mixed world title in 2021.
The three-time Olympian narrowly missed a medal at the last Winter Olympics in Beijing, finishing fourth in the women’s race in 2022.
Brockhoff hoped to again compete in the women’s snowboard cross and mixed team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, in February.
But the athlete has announced that two serious injuries have forced her into retirement. Brockhoff suffered a nasty fracture of her wrist in late 2024 in a training accident.
In March last year she suffered a serious crash during a World Cup race in Georgia.
Belle had to be airlifted to a Greek hospital with a fractured vertebra. She later had pins and rods inserted into her back, and explained doctors had told her that any further incidents could leave her unable to walk.
The snowboarding champ has announced that due to her injuries, she’s calling time on competitive racing.
“I’ve been rehabbing a complicated compound fracture in my wrist and a fractured L1 vertebra in my spine,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve rehabbed and trained hard for many months, and I know my body’s limits.
“It is with this and more than 20 years of snowboarding that I know in my heart it is time to step away from competitive racing.”
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Belle Brockhoff thanked her family, including her partner Georgia, as well as her coaches, team and fans for their support. The Aussie wrote on Instagram that she’ll miss competing around the world but was ready for her “next chapter”.
“I will miss everything that snowboard cross has given me,” she wrote.
“It’s been my passion, my identity and my greatest adventure. I will still go riding, share that love of snowboarding with the next generation and stay connected to this incredible community.
“But right now, the competitive chapter that defines so much of my life has come to a close. I’m excited for this next chapter in life. It feels right and I’m ready.”
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Belle Brockhoff came out publicly ahead of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics — her first — in response to the Russian government’s anti-gay laws.
“We have this unique opportunity as athletes to inspire others from a world stage, especially at the Olympics,” Belle said at the time.
“We don’t just represent ourselves but our country, our family, friends and people we don’t even know.
“Whilst being on the world stage, I believe it’s important to inspire people to be their best and create awareness around certain topics.”
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