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— Maria Hoefl-Riesch is considering retiring from ski racing after the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The German overall World Cup champion, who then will be 29, said it would be a dream to end her career with another Olympic gold medal after winning the super-combined and slalom races at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
"I am planning to race until 2014," Hoefl-Riesch said Thursday, two days ahead of the season-opening giant slalom race on the Rettenbach glacier. "I have been around in the World Cup for 10 years now and racing all disciplines. That does leave its marks. I listen to my body."
Hoefl-Riesch said that enjoying racing and feeling good on the course have become key to her after accomplishing all main targets in her career.
"The past three years have been the most important in my career," she said. "I already said that in 2007 when I came back from injuries. The worlds in 2009, the Olympics in 2010 and again the worlds in 2011. It didn't go too bad for me."
Hoefl-Riesch, who won five medals, including three golds, at those three events, said "everything I win from now on is icing on the cake."
The German has won 20 World Cup races and clinched her first overall title after beating defending three-time champion Lindsey Vonn by 3 points last season.
Now, she says she doesn't feel any pressure going into the new season as the holder of the sport's main title.
"I have never before entered a new season so relaxed and without pressure," Hoefl-Riesch said. "The reason is that I have fulfilled my biggest dream by winning the overall title."
Hoefl-Riesch said that defending the crown is "obviously a main goal," but finally winning a GS race — the only discipline in which she is yet to finish first — would make her almost as happy.
A first chance to do so would be the season-opening race on Saturday, though Hoefl-Riesch dampened expectations as she has not yet fully recovered from an ankle injury she sustained during slalom training in New Zealand in August.
"I thought that was all over but it started hurting again after training last week," she said. "Sometimes it hurts more, sometimes less, though I hope it's no problem for the race."
Hoefl-Riesch said she prepared differently for this season than in previous years.
"I changed some things in my nutrition," she said. "I weigh (about 15 1/2 pounds) less than at the start of the last season, in order to have more power. A season without the worlds or the Olympics is the right time to try it out."
It's not just results anymore that matter to Hoefl-Rieschl, who changed her name after marrying her agent Marcus Hoefl in April.
"My main goal is to find the right balance between calmness when things are not going my way, and ambition to win more titles."
