A super eagle named Tschofenig

Sometimes it seems as if the wind that blows around jumps has special jokes in store for people. The wind that blew around the huge ski jump in Bischofshofen on January 6th obviously took his effort very seriously: it managed to sweep the last and most important ski jumper, the leading Schwarzenberg ski jumper Stefan Kraft, from first place in the Four Hills Tournament.

Kraft was unable to jump for almost a quarter of an hour. He had to take off his skis while waiting on the jump, and you could see in the images provided by the camera how he looked more and more serious and perplexed. When he finally got the green light, glided down the track and initially jumped down not badly, his trajectory suddenly stopped. Kraft’s hopes of achieving his third day’s victory on this tour were dashed. It was clear why Kraft, frozen in horror, went to his fellow jumpers and initially spoke to no one: his second tour victory had just been snatched from him by the skies.

While Kraft had to deal with his setback, his teammates celebrated first and second place

The scene remained bizarre. The 137.5 meters wasn’t enough: While Kraft, 31, actually had to cope with this setback, his fellow competitors jumped and grinned next to him because they realized what had happened. The young Austrian springer generation has prevailed, at least for the moment. Most Austrian spectators were able to get over Kraft’s setback, because the outcome of the 73rd Four Hills Tournament remained a completely Austrian success: In the end, Daniel Tschofenig (136.0 and 140.5 meters) won by a very narrow margin, with a lead of 1.4 points over Jan Hörl. Kraft came third. The best German was Andreas Wellinger in ninth place.

Tschofenig had already won the New Year’s competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen during the tour, was leading at half time, but then fell slightly behind. This Austria team with its experienced leader Kraft from Pongau, with the only 22-year-old Tschofenig, with Jan Hörl, 26, as well as the experienced Michael Hayböck, 33, and the young Maximilian Ortner, 22, could not be defeated. The youngest have just gained a few years of experience, the other two top ten jumpers have been regularly on the World Cup starting beam for at least twelve years. And one should not forget what is still being trained to be a winner in the centers of the individual federal states from Lake Constance to Lower Austria and Carinthia. It’s like a dream for the country’s sports managers, like the Super Eagles Vol.

Super Eagle? The real ones were similarly numerous. They were already flying twenty years ago, when a team was formed that also jumped from victory to victory, from podium to podium and took almost all the places. They produced great jumpers, but also soon ambition and resentment in the ranks. The huge coach with which these super eagles traveled from World Cup to World Cup for safety reasons was initially seen as a strong sign and not by car as before. The bus had so much space on the long sides that there was enough space for the team’s pictures: Andreas Kofler, Wolfgang Loitzl, Thomas Morgenstern, Gregor Schlierenzauer, Martin Koch and in the middle coach Alexander Pointner.

Such a phase of excessive success could now threaten the opponents of the Austria team again: The German team, which actually always has good jumpers, seems to be flying in a phase with less success. In Bischofshofen, Andreas Wellinger at least gave himself a little courage with his strong jump in the second round. Pius Paschke, twelfth in Bischofshofen, still managed to secure a place in the top ten overall in sixth place. Sports psychologists will probably also have to clarify why, after five wins at the start of the season, his long-standing strong form suddenly no longer carried him to the top. “We went in with great ambitions, but unfortunately we got worse rather than better,” said national coach Stefan Horngacher: “Austria is very far ahead, all the other nations are biting their teeth, including us. We have to accept that.”

Coach Andreas Widhölzl has a special leadership style: he takes his time and explains

The superiority of the group of current ÖSV jumpers is the problem for the entire World Cup entourage. There is no resentment to be seen in this group, no envy, no group formation as once existed among the super eagles. This could have something to do with the fact that the coach of the Austrian team, Andreas Widhölzl, 48, lived through the times of the Super Eagles. Widhölzl’s leadership style is obviously different: he takes his time, explains difficult decisions and thereby gains the trust of his ski jumpers. The fact that he’s less of a joker and more quiet and focused probably doesn’t disturb the mood.

Widhölzl pays attention to clear communication. Every Austrian jumper knows that he is included in this team. He is less of a spontaneous instinct coach than his predecessor Alexander Pointner, the coach of the first Super Eagles, but rather swears by constant development, especially when it comes to the many talents in the country. “I believe that communication with the coaches works well and a lot of things go hand in hand,” he says.

That was different with the super eagles, who were also so powerful. After the astonishing first phase of success, mistrust became the focus; the opposite poles Schlierenzauer and Morgenstern had a volatile relationship for years – on the one hand they bribed each other, on the other hand they needed each other for success. In the end there was the miracle wax trouble when only Schlierenzauer got a brand new wax and not his fellow jumpers.

With coach Andreas Widhölzl, the current coach who strictly insists on equality and clear communication, one can no longer imagine such resentment and arguments. The result is Austria’s first overall victory since 2015.