Mühlbacher’s precision landing

Heads are spinning in the coaching team of the Austrian ski jumpers. Today they want to announce the team for the World Championships in Planica starting on Thursday. The past weekend made the decision-making even more difficult, because with the Innviertler Julia Mühlbacher, an 18-year-old showed her first career podium at the World Cup in Rasnov.

The dress rehearsal for the World Cup in Romania on Saturday afternoon lasted more than 100 minutes. And that, although in the end only one passage looked out because of the too strong wind. From an Austrian point of view, the canceled competition had a happy ending. After the longest jump of the day (86.5 meters), the still sovereign World Cup leader Eva Pinkelnig was only beaten by the Norwegian Anna Odine Ström by a measly point. Schalchenerin Mühlbacher, who jumps for ASVÖ SC Höhnhart, finished third with 83 meters and 95.7 points.

“I’m just overwhelmed. It was brutally difficult and very turbulent,” said the 18-year-old, who finished third at the Junior World Championships in Canada two weeks ago and then won World Cup points in Hinzenbach last weekend. Mühlbacher had to struggle with a herniated disc at the start of the season.

With Schildornerin Jacqueline Seifriedsberger in eighth place, a third ÖSV jumper landed in the top ten on Saturday. Mühlbacher and Seifriedsberger are now in the closer draw for Planica, Pinkelnig and Chiara Kreuzer, while Sara Kramer is in a form crisis.

For the men, the ÖSV was at the start with the B set. Andreas Wellinger (D) won the individual, Clemens Aigner was the best home rider in eighth. Yesterday Germany won the super team competition, Austria with Aigner/Philipp Aschenwald came third.