Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen congratulated the successful squad, which had captured 18 medals, seven each in gold and silver. The active received gold coins worth 17,000 euros for gold, 13,000 for silver and 11,000 for bronze.
He followed the Winter Games closely, said Van der Bellen. Phone calls about winning medals kept coming. “I couldn’t believe it, congratulations.” The Federal President singled out snowboarder Anna Gasser, the winner of the Big Air competition. “What she did was so unbelievable, it was the first time that this kind of jump worked, it was unbelievable for me.”
ÖOC President Karl Stoss once again recalled the successes. “You have to imagine that, we’re going home with 18 medals, we have eight fourth places and a total of 67 top ten places with 106 active players, so we’re among the best nations in the world in winter sports, there’s nothing nicer. “
Kogler announced further funding
Sports Minister Werner Kogler announced further funding. Among other things, the ministry already supports the technology centers for tobogganing and skiing, and the Greens politician also announced that he would be involved in the planned expansion of the ski training routes. That has many advantages, you don’t have to do so many overseas training camps, said Kogler. “It’s also something that’s sustainable. There are a few projects that should be worth something to us, because it makes us a little proud that Austria is an alpine country, but it’s a small country and so far ahead, that is quite remarkable,” explained Kogler. More about this in the video:
Matthias Mayer, who won gold at his third Olympic Games in a row with the Super-G victory, is in high spirits. “It’s jingling all the time, I can hardly get my grin off my face,” said the Carinthian. His closer compatriot Gasser repeated the success of Pyeongchang. “Because I already had a gold medal, I was a little more relaxed in these games. It was a dream that it worked, but that it really worked was very surprising for me,” emphasized the 30-year-old.
Strolz “very grateful and happy”
With two gold medals (combination and team) and slalom silver, Johannes Strolz was the most eager medal collector of the ÖOC squad. “I’m very grateful and happy, but I haven’t had time to think about it too much. The next World Cup in Garmisch is on Saturday, I’m still on track,” said the 29-year-old.
The Vorarlberger jumped onto the podium with a loud scream. “I’m more of a quiet guy, but because I’ve been fighting for so long, a lot has built up and if I’m allowed to experience that, then I have to let everything out,” said Strolz.
Warther, who prepares his slalom skis himself and dropped out of the ÖSV squad before the season, only qualified for World Cup events during the internal qualification in November. He received the best equipment from the ski outfitter (Head), but he didn’t have a contract. Racing boss Rainer Salzgeber asked him about it after the Adelboden win, but it wasn’t time for it yet, said Strolz, who is a fan of the Seattle Seahawks football team.
Everything will be discussed for the coming season because of the future training group. Strolz is also looking forward to support with ski preparation. “I’m looking forward to having full service again, because it takes an awful lot of time and energy during the competition season. You don’t have that kind of energy in the long run.”
“It’s nice when we can be happy together”
Stefan Kraft has won ski jumping medals at three world championships in a row, and the man from Salzburg has now also competed for the first time at the Winter Games with team gold. “I’m glad that we managed to do it again so that I could compete for a medal in every competition,” said the large hill world champion. “My jump lives from the risk and is at the limit, but you have to do that if you want to be in the top three,” emphasized the Pongauer. “We knew that as a team we could get everything. It’s really nice when we can celebrate together.”
After winning individual silver and team gold, team senior Manuel Fettner only wants to make a decision about his sporting future after the end of the season. “It’s not due to a lack of goals, it will depend on my gut feeling and whether there is still motivation,” explained the 36-year-old. He has finished his studies, the future could lie in the sports sector or somewhere else. “But I’ll only think about that when the big emotional element of ski jumping is gone.”
Source: Nachrichten
