Austria’s ski jumpers are starting the 74th Four Hills Tournament without any personnel surprises – but not without worries.
In addition to defending champion Daniel Tschofenig, Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft, who took first, second and third place in last year’s edition of the tour, Manuel Fettner, Stephan Embacher and Jonas Schuster are also part of the ÖSV team, as was the case at the World Cup dress rehearsal in Engelberg, Switzerland. “The team remains the same,” said head coach Andreas Widhölzl.
Maximilian Ortner secured an additional quota place in the Continental Cup.
But the Austrians, who were so dominant last year, are not free from worries. Tschofenig in particular is currently weak and is looking for his form. In Engelberg, the 23-year-old finished in 16th place and even missed the final in the second competition, coming in 34th.
“I’m currently having some difficulties. I don’t know what the trigger was or why it’s happening now,” Tschofenig told Eurosport.
He concluded: “I started the season well, but it just kept getting worse. Now I’m at the point where it doesn’t work at all anymore. I don’t know what else to say.”
Ski jumping: bitter dry spell for Austria’s high flyers
Austria’s Athlete of the Year 2025 initially started in Lillehammer, Norway, exactly where he had ended his fabulous 2024/25 season: in first place.
Since then, however, he has not been able to achieve a podium finish, especially after the World Cup in Ruka and Wisla, things went downhill.
Looking ahead to the Four Hills Tournament, Tschofenig said: “I wish I had more time. I don’t know what I’ll do in the next few weeks.”
The 74th Four Hills Tournament traditionally begins on December 28th with the qualification and the following day with the competition jumping in Oberstdorf. The other stations are Garmisch-Partenkirchen as well as Innsbruck and Bischofshofen.