After seven years, Stefan Horngacher’s time as national ski jumping coach ended. Since the season finale in Planica, there has been intense speculation that the Austrian is about to return to Poland after leaving DSV head coach. This would be a logical step for ski jumping icon Martin Schmitt.
“I’m not surprised. He announced his retirement after the season pretty early, so I knew that he was also open to challenges outside of Germany,” Schmitt commented on the rumors about Horngacher’s future in an interview with “supersport.se.pl”. According to consistent media reports, the 57-year-old will take over the position of sports director in Poland.
The Austrian took over the German ski jumpers from his predecessor Werner Schuster in 2019. The long-awaited triumph of a DSV eagle at the Four Hills Tournament did not succeed under his direction. Horngacher knows the Polish ski jumping association very well and was active there as a national coach between 2016 and 2019 before his involvement in Germany.
Horngacher was “very successful” in Poland
“When a coach like Stef is on the market, of course many teams try to sign him. I think Adam Malysz has a good relationship with him, he was very successful in Poland. If he actually works in Poland again, it will be a real boost for the entire team, not only for the national team, but also for the juniors,” Schmitt is convinced of the qualities of the experienced coach.
When asked by “weszlo.com” about the rumors, Malysz recently kept a low profile. “I said we would tell you the result after April 15th, so it would be a surprise if I gave you names now. That’s why I won’t answer this question,” the association president simply said.
According to consistent media reports, it was then confirmed at a press conference that Horngacher would return to the Polish Ski Association.
