In ski freestyle

Silver! A Villach man shines at the Youth Olympics

Benjamin Lengger is beaming about his first medal.(Bild: ÖOC/Meindl )

At the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Bakuriani, Georgia, Benjamin Lengger won silver in slopestyle in the first freestyle skiing competition. The Villach native, who was born in the Philippines, improved from third to second place. His role model is Austria's World Cup ace Matej Svancer.

What a start! Ski freestyler Benjamin Lengger from Villach is celebrating his silver medal in slopestyle at the European Youth Olympic Games in Bakuriani (Georgia). After the first run of the twelve-man final, the 16-year-old was still in third place - with the knowledge that bronze was already secured before the final jump, he improved from 85 to 88.5 points and jumped to silver. 

The pressure was off before the second run because the medal was there.

Benjamin Lengger, Freestyle-Talent

Viktor Maksyagin (Sz) was only 1.5 points behind the winner. "The pressure was off before the second run because the medal was there. But at the same time I wanted to improve, which made me tense again. Overall it went well, I'm proud of my performance," said Benni, who has been living at the ski boarding school in Schladming for two years. 

Lengger came second in the slopestyle - now the big air awaits.(Bild: ÖOC/Meindl )

Lengger has lived in Villach since he was two years old. He was born in the Philippines - his mother is originally from there. He started freestyle skiing at the age of ten and has already completed his first European Cup competitions this season. It looks good that Benjamin will be included in the ÖSV squad next year. 

Svancer as a role model
The great role model is World Cup ace Matej Svancer, who dominated the Big Air in Klagenfurt at the start of the year. "We've often trained together." I admire him for his strong performances, he's a role model," says Lengger, for whom things will get serious again on Thursday in the Big Air qualifiers. The final is on Saturday.