Austria celebrates the greatest success in the history of the tour. Still, only one person was really in the mood to celebrate.
At the end of the most successful Four Hills Tournament in the history of Austrian ski jumping reigned in the camp of the big winners…. the frustration.
And who can blame Jan Hörl, second overall, and Stefan Kraft, third overall?
That’s where it lies Golden eagles on the serving plate, the prestigious triumph on the tour is within reach – and then a teammate succeeds (Daniel Tschofenig) the longed-for precision landing on the podium.
It was visibly difficult for Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft to be celebrated by the thousands of fans in Bischofshofen. Celebrating a record tour with four day victories, eleven podiums and one Triple success in the overall ranking.
“That hurts,” admitted Jan Hörlwhich was a paltry 1.4 points short of triumph. With his botched landing after the final jump, the 26-year-old lost his overall victory.
Things didn’t fare much better Stefan Kraftwho had to wait for minutes before his second attempt as half-time leader. Even an experienced person like him is affected by something like this.
“Waiting so long isn’t fun. This is very, very bitter. I’ve tried everything. But the Golden Eagle didn’t want to come to me,” he said, visibly contrite.
And even the great triumphant didn’t really feel like celebrating. Daniel Tschofenig celebrated the success cautiously, as if he almost had a guilty conscience for going out next to his disappointed teammates.
“So much has happened, I don’t even know how to react or what to say,” said the Carinthian.
Of course it was clear that it had to happen that way. Dominance or team success. If three Austrians are at the top at the end of the tour, two will initially feel like losers.