“Don’t know what to say”
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January 7, 2025 – 1:37 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
After the Four Hills Tournament, the ski jumping world is mainly talking about the dominant Austrians. A Norwegian is also one of the surprises.
Daniel Tschofenig, Jan Hörl, Stefan Kraft. The names of the three Austrian high-flyers of the Four Hills Tournament were also on everyone’s lips on Monday in Bischofshofen. After all, it wasn’t until the fourth competition that it would be decided who would ultimately win the title. Tschofenig won the race with 140.5 meters in the second round and was extensively celebrated for his achievements.
In addition, Benjamin Östvold almost went down in sixth place. Until recently, nobody had the Norwegian on their radar. Less than a month ago, Östvold was working night shifts at a hotel in a town about two hours north of Oslo. He also collected donations via a crowdfunding platform to finance his sports career.
But because he won the Continental Cup, the second highest competition class in ski jumping, at the start of the season in Zhangjiakou, China, and came third in Ruka, Finland, two weeks before the start of the tour, he got a place in the Norwegian squad. The 23-year-old took advantage of the opportunity. At the tour dress rehearsal in Engelberg he came 20th on Saturday and even came eighth on Sunday. Norway’s national coach Magnus Brevig then nominated him for the Four Hills Tournament – and he didn’t regret it.
In Oberstdorf, Östvold jumped to 13th place, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen to 18th place, in Innsbruck to 19th place and then to 6th place in Bischofshofen. He finished the entire tour in 13th place, leaving stars like Karl Geiger and Ryōyū Kobayashi behind him. He also prevailed against prominent names in a national comparison. Halvor Egner Granerud and Fredrik Villumstad were behind Östvold in the final position.
“It’s crazy, there are so many thoughts going through my head. I was so scared at first when I was sitting up there and heard that the boys jumped 140 meters. But now I’m just happy,” he told the Norwegian Channel NRK. “I don’t even know what to say.”
The financial worries that plagued him just a month ago are now finally a thing of the past. Through his successes in Engelberg and at the Four Hills Tournament, he won the equivalent of more than 15,000 euros. “That’s great. It means I can look forward to the rest of the season with more confidence,” enthused Östvold.
But he didn’t quit his job at the hotel. “For me, it’s straight back to work when I leave here,” he told NRK in Bischofshofen with a laugh. “I need the money.” Let’s see how long the results last.