Frustration in the normal competition

ÖSV Eagles disappoint ++ Embacher best in 7th place

Stephan Embacher was the best Austrian, ultimately finishing in 7th place...(Bild: GEPA)

The Austrians, who are used to success, came away empty-handed in the Olympic normal hill competition, which was marked by surprises! Stephan Embacher finished seventh on Monday in Predazzo as the best red-white-red ski jumper...

Gold went to Germany's Philipp Raimund, who is still without a World Cup victory, who won by 3.4 points ahead of Poland's sensation Kacper Tomasiak. Bronze went to Japan's Ren Nikaido and Switzerland's Gregor Deschwanden, who were tied on 8.1 points.

"I messed up in the first round, that really bugs me!"
Some of the favorites, including defending champion Ryoyu Kobayashi (8th) and world champion Marius Lindvik (12th), stumbled on the small hill in Fleimstal, as did the Austrians. World Cup dominator Domen Prevc from Slovenia finished sixth, 0.6 points ahead of Embacher. The Tyrolean improved significantly after a botched landing and 19th place after the first round. "I messed up in the first round, that really bugs me. Maybe I wanted too much, I wanted to squeeze every meter out of it, but unfortunately that backfired," said Embacher, who was 4.8 points short of the podium.

Embacher misses bronze due to landing
The 20-year-old Olympic debutant's joy at his successful final jump was limited. "The frustration outweighs everything else. It's all about the top three places." In hindsight, Embacher would have preferred to "take the seven points for the landing. That would have put me on the podium. But oh well, it's over, I didn't make it," added the disappointed youngster. At least the second jump gave him enough confidence for the rest of the competition. He hopes to make amends with Jan Hörl, Lisa Eder, and Julia Mühlbacher in the mixed team event on Tuesday (6:45 p.m.).

The result:

(Bild: www.olympics.com)

(Bild: www.olympics.com)

It was also a disappointing evening for ÖSV head coach Andreas Widhölzl. "It's a real shame. It's bitter, of course, and also a bit disappointing, because we were expecting to be among the frontrunners," emphasized the Tyrolean. Hörl and Embacher's jumps were actually "very good." "But unfortunately, they messed up with the telemark. That's bitter because, in terms of distance, they would both have been close to a medal after the first round." However, anything is possible again in the mixed team competition, added Widhölzl. "We'll give it our all to win a medal there."

Hörl and Tschofenig falter, Kraft disappoints
Hörl was the second-best Austrian in eleventh place, making up only two places after a less than optimal first jump in the final. "No one cares about eleventh place, only first, second, and third count. But we still have a few chances, we're not giving up," said Hörl. Daniel Tschofenig, who was only eleventh after the first round, slipped back to 15th place in the final. "I had to take a big risk in the second round, but it didn't work out. It wasn't good, you have to be honest about that," said Tschofenig.

Former world champion Kraft, winner of the only normal hill World Cup of the season, finished only 27th after two poor jumps. "It was a tough day. I made some small mistakes, nothing major, but you can't afford to make those. Somehow it just wasn't meant to be, it just didn't work out," said Kraft, describing the hill as strange. Once again, the 32-year-old from Salzburg fell short of expectations in an individual Olympic competition. "It doesn't feel that bitter because I was so far off. I'm more amazed and astonished than sad," said the Olympic team champion from Beijing, describing his feelings.

Raimund euphoric: "I'm going crazy"
Meanwhile, Raimund and the many German fans in the ski jumping stadium in Predazzo were overjoyed. "I haven't won a World Cup yet, but I was in great shape this year. I'm extremely proud that it worked out so well at the Olympic Games. The fact that it's gold, I'm going crazy, it's awesome," said the 25-year-old euphorically after winning his first medal at a major event.