German Olympics medalist Alexandra Burghardt retired from professional sports

German sprinter Alexandra Burghardt has announced her retirement from professional sports at the age of 32. She has achieved the unique feat of winning medals at both the Winter and Summer Olympics, becoming the only European track and field athlete to do so.

In 2022, Alexandra Burghardt won a silver medal in the double bobsleigh at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Just six months later, she was the first runner-up for the German team that won gold at the European Athletics Championships in Munich.

Two years later, Alexandra Burghardt was again included in the German team at the last minute as a replacement for an injured teammate in the heats. Again in the first runner-up position, she contributed to the bronze medal in the relay – Germany’s first medal in the women’s 4x100m at the Olympic Games since reunification.

“Yes, my story is really special, it wasn’t planned. The Winter Olympics were just an experiment that turned out to be quite successful”, said Alexandra Burghardt after winning the Olympics medal. “This medal was our dream, and two years ago at the World Championships we saw what was possible with the relay when we won bronze. And our goal was 100% to win a medal this time too”, added she.

Alexandra Burghardt’s last appearance with the German team was at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, where she was eliminated in the 60m heats. She subsequently failed to make it to the German team for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

“It was a fantastic time, full of unforgettable moments, experiences and meetings. Thank you for this incredible journey. Now I’m looking forward to a new chapter”, wrote Alexandra Burghardt at Instagram.