With fifth place in the Four Hills Tournament and sixth place in the World Cup, Gregor Deschwanden made people sit up and take notice in the winter of 2024/2025. In the new season, the Swiss ski jumper is still struggling with teething problems.
“Maybe I was a little too nervous at the beginning of the season. I still have some technical problems. I knew that it would be difficult for me to jump freely and without thinking too much until I had overcome these problems,” said Deschwanden in an interview with the portal “skijumping.pl”.
The 34-year-old added: “I’ve now found a way to improve. I hope I can continue like this. But it’s still more about controlling the jump than just executing it.”
In 2025/2026, Deschwanden has collected 89 points so far, which means 18th place in the World Cup. The 2020 Swiss champion has not given up on his dream of finally winning a competition. “That’s on my wish list for ski jumping,” he emphasized. “I know that it is possible. I also know that I have to jump very cleanly and with a lot of self-confidence.”
He is currently in a “preparation phase,” said Deschwanden. “However, everything can change quickly in ski jumping. I believe in that and I’ll fight for it.”
He explained: “When you are struggling, you have a goal in ski jumping, something you want to achieve or change. If this process is long or not making progress and you feel that you cannot achieve what you set out to do in, say, three or four jumps, it is difficult to maintain your confidence. But still you have to find a solution.”
Ski jumping: Olympic announcement from Deschwanden
According to Deschwanden, it’s a kind of trial-and-error method. “Some solutions turn out to be wrong, then you have to look for other solutions again. That’s how ski jumping is, that’s the path to improvement. But if you find a method that works in the end, that’s a great joy.”
Deschwanden emphasized that he wanted to be “ready” for the Winter Olympics in February in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. “If I’m patient, I can fight for the medals.”