Rumors about the National Coach? "The plan at the moment is..."

Rumors about the National Coach? "The plan at the moment is..."

As the season approaches, the German Ski Association (DSV) discusses the future of ski jumping national coach Stefan Horngacher.

DSV plans to continue collaborating with Horngacher through the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to sports director Horst Hüttel. "We want to continue working with him and will evaluate each year but at the moment, the plan is to move forward with Steff heading to Milan," said Hüttel ahead of the season's start.

Despite a strong kickoff last season, German ski jumpers underperformed in the latter half, resulting in criticism directed at Horngacher, who took over from the highly successful Werner Schuster in 2019.

"We have talked, and he has the full trust of the athletes, " Hüttel noted, regarding the challenges faced last season. "The team had a great start last season but then stumbled a bit. We discussed this, and we aim to ensure a more stable performance in the upcoming winter season."

Horngacher, who is 55 and resides in the Black Forest, was previously the head coach for Poland and a world champion as a jumper. His tenure has highlighted successes such as the team gold at the 2021 World Championships in Oberstdorf and the individual title for Karl Geiger at the 2020 Ski Flying World Championships in Planica, although a victory in the Tournee has eluded the German ski jumpers under his leadership.