Olympic skier Kristina Koznick retires

EAGAN, Minn., July 12 (UPI) -- Kristina Koznick, a three-time Olympian and six-time World Cup slalom champ, retired from competitive ski racing Wednesday in her hometown of Eagan, Minn.

Koznick, 30, one of the most successful American women slalom specialists, won five U.S. slalom titles and eight U.S. junior championships. This year she overcame a crippling knee injury to make a single slalom run in the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

"Truthfully, I could ski race until I'm 50," said Koznick, who called the decision to retire difficult. "But on the inside, every time I go home, or stop and have a moment to myself, something tells me, 'Maybe it's time.'"

U.S. alpine director Jesse Hunt praised Koznick for putting the United States on the map in slalom.