In Planica

15th victory! Pinkelnig also celebrates at the end

Eva Pinkelnig(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Ski jumper Eva Pinkelnig has brought the season to a close with her 15th World Cup victory. The Vorarlberg native won the final competition in Planica on Thursday ahead of Canadian Alexandria Loutitt and overall World Cup winner Nika Prevc from Slovenia.

"This is definitely one of the best days of my sporting career," said Pinkelnig, who set a hill record in the second round with a 103.5-meter jump.

With Jacqueline Seifriedsberger in sixth, Lisa Eder in seventh and Sara Marita Kramer in tenth, a total of four ÖSV athletes finished in the top ten. Julia Mühlbacher finished 14th, Chiara Kreuzer came 20th. "For me, today was a special highlight because once again the whole team did an extremely good job," explained women's head coach Bernhard Metzler.

Pinkelnig had already taken the lead after the first round after a set of 100.5 m, and she surpassed this performance once again in the second round. "To be able to win at the end with a hill record is absolutely cool," said the ÖSV ace. The World Cup decisions had already been made. Prevc is the overall winner, Pinkelnig came second behind her. Austria triumphed in the Nations Cup.

Pinkelnig started the season late due to a knee injury. Her first competition was the competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on December 30, 2023, after which the 35-year-old jumped onto the podium 15 more times and celebrated six victories. "Thank you to everyone who made this possible. There are so many people working so that I can sit on the beam with a grin on my face and give it my all, whatever the weather," explained Pinkelnig.

Metzler was more than satisfied after his first season as women's head coach. "It has been extremely positive. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my entire team. There are a lot of people involved who are doing a fantastic job. All in all, when the bike starts to work, then that's the well-deserved reward," says the Vorarlberg native.