SCHLADMING, Austria (AP)Austrian skier Mario Scheiber announced his retirement Monday after a career marred by knee and shoulder injuries.

I am not willing to take the risks involved in ski racing anymore, said Scheiber, who had an unsuccessful comeback season following last years downhill training crash in Chamonix, France, when he broke his nose and shoulder blade.

The crash kept him out of the world championships and Scheiber considered quitting then, but decided to continue as preparations for the new season initially went well. However, he had to pull out of the North-American leg of the World Cup in November with back problems.

The whole season has been one to forget, Scheiber said. I did not manage to reach my old level again. The many injuries Ive had during my career, especially my right knee, forced me to this decision.

Scheiber, who made his World Cup debut at a GS in Lillehammer, Norway in 2003, sat out the entire 2005-06 season after tearing ligaments in his right knee and was sidelined for months with a left shoulder injury two years later.

Scheiber, who won the giant slalom title at the 2003 junior world championships, finished on a World Cup podium 13 times but failed to win a race. He finished fourth in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

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Austrian skier Scheiber announces retirement