Matjaž Pungertar has called time on his ski jumping career at the age of 27 ©Getty Images

Slovenian ski jumper Matjaž Pungertar has announced that he has decided to end his career at the end of the season.

As reported by slovenskenovice.si, the 27-year-old made his decision after the Slovenian National Championships, which took place shortly before Christmas.

Pungertar's best World Cup performances came in the 2014-2015 season when he recorded three top ten finishes whilst he also represented his country at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic World Championships in 2013 and 2015.

Recently, however, he has been struggling with back and ankle injuries.

Matjaž Pungertar has suffered from back and ankle injuries in recent times ©Getty Images
Matjaž Pungertar has suffered from back and ankle injuries in recent times ©Getty Images

Speaking to slovenskenovice.si, Pungertar said: "The decision to end my career in sports has matured in my mind for a long time.

"For different reasons, I was not able to achieve the results I had wished for in the recent years.

"It got into a vicious circle that I couldn't get out off, even though I did everything I could."

The Ljubljana native now plans to help his girlfriend Neza in her photography business.