But it is also clear that the ÖSV will finish the Nordic title fights in Slovenia without gold. The record is the same as at the also untitled Alpine World Championships in France seven medals.
The jumping team with Daniel Tschofenig, Michael Hayböck, Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft had to admit defeat to hosts Slovenia and Norway. As a result, Kraft and Co. saved their previously medalless World Championships, the man from Salzburg is now the new Austrian record man with 13 medals ahead of Gregor Schlierenzauer.
The remaining six podium places for Austria in Planica were achieved by the ski jumpers (2 x silver) and the combination team (4 x bronze). There was no gold for Austria in 2019 in Seefeld and in 1997 in Trondheim. The World Championships two years ago in Oberstdorf had also brought seven medals for Austria, but at that time there were four gold medals with strength from the large hill among them. Before Seefeld 2019, there had always been one or more gold medals for the ÖSV at all ten world championships since 1999.
“Cool ending for the team”
In the team competition, the ÖSV quartet was already well behind Slovenia and just behind Norway in third place following the first round. In the final, the battle for medals between the three nations intensified once more to a few points ahead of the last two jumpers. Hörl maintained third place in a group with individual world champion Timi Zajc, but the gap grew significantly. Final jumper Kraft also lost ground, but bronze was more than ten points ahead of Poland and a little further ahead of defending champion Germany.
“It’s a really cool finish for the whole team if you don’t go home with a sleepy face. I’m super happy, it was a tough fight,” said the three-time individual world champion Kraft, who went empty-handed in the individual with sheet metal and sixth place.
Medal of great importance
His longtime roommate Hayboeck was relieved. “The medal is very important, it was so exciting. Five teams might have won, you have to beat Germany and Poland first,” said the Upper Austrian. The medal shines especially for him and the team and is also a suitable birthday present for his 32nd birthday on Sunday, said Hayböck and announced an extensive celebration.
Hörl was just as happy regarding the successful conclusion. “That’s particularly nice, now we’ll take a medal with us following all. Everyone did a really good job, it wasn’t easy, but now we have bronze, that counts.” Tschofenig joined. “It’s great that we made it.”
“We fought well”
ÖSV head coach Andreas Widholzl was relieved of a great deal. “It was very exciting, we fought well. You can also finish fourth and fifth, so we’re overjoyed to be able to go home with a medal.” Overall, of course, more was expected, admitted the Tyrolean, but also referred to the twice unfortunate outcome for Kraft.
One day following Zajc’s individual victory, Slovenia celebrated gold once more, the victory ahead of Norway was clear. “It’s just unbelievable, two golden ones are perfect. It’s very nice to achieve that in front of a home crowd,” emphasized Zajc.
“Extremely important for the team”
“It was extremely important for the entire team that we now also won a ski jumping medal,” summarized Mario Stecher, the sports director in the ÖSV, among other things for ski jumping, aware that following gold in 2013 from 2015 to 2021 there were three silver medals and managed once with bronze. Stecher: “When you know how much energy you put into it all year long and it’s so difficult to get a medal. It’s great that we managed to do it, that the boys performed.”
Kraft, who placed fourth on the normal hill in singles and mixed, extended his World Championship medal series, which has lasted since 2015, with third place. But the Salzburger was more pleased than that regarding the team aspect. “Everyone worked hard, everyone gave it their all. We suffered a bit for the two weeks,” said the 29-year-old. “But the end is really nice. It would have hurt us a lot if we had gone home with a team fourth. It would have taken me a few days to get over it. It was a battle, we are mega happy.”
“Great relief” for Hayboeck
A special fulfillment is the medal for Hayböck, thrown back a year and a half ago due to an operation on an intervertebral disc. “It’s a great relief. Those were by far the best jumps I’ve made in the team competition. And we know that we can count on our unity, that was the case once more today,” said the Upper Austrian the day before his 32nd birthday .birthday. “So much has happened to me in the last two years, the medal will have a special place.”
