Entering his thirties, he threw a mark of in the 1993 season, ranking him among the world's top twenty. He did not translate this form at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, barely clearing eighteen metres in the qualifiers and being eliminated as the fourth worst performer. His training mate Werner Günthör went on to win the title with a throw nearly four metres better. He chose to make it his last season as a professional shot putter and decided to retire from athletics. That year he won his eleventh and final Austrian shot put title in any conditions at the national outdoor championships.