Victoria Rausch, Luxembourg's record holder in the 60m and 100m hurdles;
Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu
On Thursday 28 May 2026, the Luxembourg Athletics Federation (FLA) announced the retirement of hurdler Victoria Rausch, the national record holder in both the 60m and 100m hurdles.
According to the FLA, Rausch decided to stop training during the past winter. In a private discussion with the federation, she explained that she wanted to conclude her career following what she considers her finest international appearance: the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń earlier this year, where she competed in the 60m hurdles, clocked 8.18 seconds in the heats and finished 40th overall, just one tenth of a second outside her personal best.
Speaking to Chronicle.lu, her former coach, Arnaud Starck, said the decision had not come as a surprise, as the athlete had already discussed the possibility of ending her careerfollowing a successful indoor season that included a national record and qualification for the global championships. “At that time, Victoria told me she might move on to another project after the indoor season and her qualification for the World Championships, which is ultimately what happened,” he said.
Among Rausch's achievements are five national indoor titles in the 60m hurdles, three national outdoor titles in the 100m hurdles, as well as the Luxembourg national records in both events. She set the current 100m hurdles record of 13.09 seconds at the International Meeting in Schifflange in July 2025, before lowering the national 60m hurdles mark to 8.08 seconds at the CMCM Luxembourg Indoor Meeting in January 2026.
Arnaud Starck described Rausch's national records as her greatest achievements, noting that she improved the previous Luxembourg benchmarks by almost half a second. “She can be very proud of her journey and development,” he said, adding that she finished her career on a high note after breaking both national records over the past year.
The FLA also highlighted several moments that Victoria Rausch considers the most memorable of her career: qualifying for her first major international championship at the 2015 European Junior Championships, reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 European Championships in Munich and setting two national records over the past year.
The federation added that, through her commitment, determination and achievements, the 29-year-old athlete has left a lasting mark on Luxembourg athletics.
Arnaud Starck also credited Victoria Rausch with helping to raise the profile of hurdling in Luxembourg. He said her perseverance and resilience showed younger athletes that it is possible to overcome setbacks, continue progressing and reach an international level, even in a demanding discipline such as hurdles: “She showed younger generations that it is possible to come back, improve and reach a high international level.”
