ÖSV-Adler Leave the World Championships Without Gold but With Positive Reflections

ÖSV-Adler Leave the World Championships Without Gold but With Positive Reflections

The leading Austrian ski jumpers in the World Cup concluded the championships without a gold medal but left with several medals. Coach Andreas Widhölzl expressed their positive feelings about returning home, noting that whilst disappointing for some, the overall team garnered commendable medals. "For the one or the other, there might be a bit of disappointment. It was a mixed bag. I’m just glad we're leaving now because the hill was really difficult to jump on," Widhölzl said.

From his top trio, only Jan Hörl met expectations with a silver and a bronze. However, season champion Daniel Tschofenig fell into a performance dip during the championships, and three-time world champion Stefan Kraft also struggled to reach optimum form. "I don't need to be very upset because I knew that eventually, the moment would come where things wouldn't work out for a weekend or so. It's not great; it doesn't help to cry over it," stated Tschofenig.

Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic about consolidating his lead in the overall World Cup standings over Hörl. "Better to take the championships with a smile and come home with a black eye and say, thank goodness Jan didn't take any points from me. It will be a battle and very exciting. He is indeed in great form, but I have a bit of leeway left," Tschofenig said, emphasizing the greater significance of the Crystal Globe over any single championship.

Kraft, who, like Tschofenig, returned with team silver and mixed bronze, noted that while the medals tally of two is positive, there remains some puzzlement after the performances on the large hill. "As a ski jumping Austria, we are very happy with four medals across four competitions," Kraft said, reflecting on the missed gold. "While it hurts to not achieve our big dream, it will bond us more. There will be more chances ahead."

Hörl was fully content with four medals across the championship. He remarked, "It was a mega championship for me, with four medals in four competitions. I'm really happy to have regained my confidence and heart in my jumps." Hörl moved up to silver after Norwegian competitor Marius Lindvik was disqualified. "I kept my focus and it turned out well," he added.

Coach Widhölzl praised his two-time medalist for maintaining stability amid pressure, acknowledging an initial expectation of tougher competition at the World Championships but ultimately expressing happiness over the four medals achieved, a significant improvement from just one at the previous year's Planica. "We have further plans. We are doing well, one-two-three in the overall standings. Tschofe and the others will battle it out until the end," Widhölzl concluded.