Ski flying at Kulm

Two ÖSV Eagles on the podium as Prevc takes victory

Jonas Schuster (left) made it onto the World Cup podium for the first time, while Stephan Embacher (right) narrowly missed out on victory.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Stephan Embacher and Jonas Schuster flew onto the podium in second and third place at Kulm. The victory went to Slovenian Domen Prevc. With Daniel Tschofenig and Maximilian Ortner, two more Austrians finished in the top 5.

Tyrolean Stephan Embacher narrowly missed out on his first World Cup victory at Kulm. The 20-year-old Super Team Olympic champion had to bow to season dominator and world champion Domen Prevc from Slovenia by 1.1 points in Saturday's ski flying event after leading at half-time. An ÖSV trio consisting of Jonas Schuster, Daniel Tschofenig, and Maximilian Ortner followed in third to fifth place, 30 or more points behind. Stefan Kraft, who flew to World Championship gold at Kulm two years ago, finished 16th.

The result:

  Embacher was still 6.5 points ahead of Prevc after the first round in front of 13,000 fans, but in the final the Slovenian overtook the Tyrolean and celebrated his twelfth victory of the season. "I don't think I could have done much more today. 1.1 points is nothing," said Embacher. The third-placed athlete in the tour was thrown off course somewhat by a problem with his jumping boot, which had to be provisionally repaired with superglue before the first round. "I felt like I couldn't get my pulse down, which bothered me a bit because it wasn't exactly safe. Thankfully, everything went well and I was able to show some cool jumps."

Powerless against Prevc's grenade
Despite the problems with his equipment, he performed very well. "It was a bit hectic, but I didn't let it get to me," said Embacher. The fact that he gave up his half-time lead, as he did at Bergisel, was mainly due to Prevc's superior form. "I can only take my hat off to him, he put out a real rocket, because mine wasn't bad either." His long-awaited first victory is probably only a matter of time, and he will have his first opportunity in the second individual competition on Sunday. "It will happen eventually, good things have to happen," said Embacher.

Stephan Embacher, Domen Prevc, and Jonas Schuster (from left to right)(Bild: Sepp Pail)

His roommate Schuster, who is two years older, landed on the podium in a complete surprise on his flying debut. "I'm extremely happy. I never thought I would fly so well the first time. I had a great competition. It's amazing that it worked out with my first podium, I'm extremely happy," said the brother of Salzburg soccer player Jannik Schuster.