Daniela Iraschko-Stolz ends her career

After a long battle to rehabilitate her knee, Daniela Iraschko-Stolz threw in the towel on Sunday. The Styrian, a true pioneer in Austrian women’s ski jumping, ended her long and successful career with a heavy heart at the age of 39. “It’s just not possible anymore,” said Iraschko-Stolz, who hasn’t been able to do any training jumps for a long time.

“The time has now come for me to put an end to my active career. Anyone who knows me knows that I would of course have loved to continue. But if you’ve been able to practice your sport for as long as I have, then you should “Don’t complain either,” the Styrian was quoted as saying in an association release on Sunday.

“It was a wonderful time,” she said and thanked all her companions, partners and sponsors.

An exceptional athlete

Iraschko-Stolz started ski jumping in 1995 and had a decisive influence on her sport. She was the first woman to unofficially jump towards the infamous 200m mark at the Kulm in 2003. Iraschko-Stolz not only witnessed the birth of the Women’s Ski Jumping World Cup (2011/2012), but also the first participation of female ski jumpers at the Nordic Ski Flying World Championships (2009) and the Winter Olympics (2014). There she won silver in the first Olympic women’s ski jumping event in history.

Her greatest sporting successes also include World Cup gold in Oslo (2011) and a total of seven other medals at the Nordic World Championships. In the 2014/15 season she was crowned the first Austrian overall World Cup winner in ski jumping. In 2021, as a team with Sara Marita Kramer, Chiara Kreuzer (formerly Hölzl) and Sophie Sorschag, she won her last precious metal with the gold medal at the World Championships in Oberstdorf (GER).

Over the course of her long career, the exceptional athlete repeatedly had to endure long breaks due to injuries. Her last major appearance in international ski jumping was at the Beijing Winter Olympics (2022), where, despite a knee injury, she came twelfth in the individual competition and fifth in the mixed team competition.

Dedicate to the young

Iraschko-Stolz would like to stay involved in the sport in the future “as far as I can and get more involved in youth projects.”

ÖSV President Roswitha Stadlober praised Iraschko-Stolz as an “exceptional athlete who not only has numerous successes, but who has become a figurehead and a pioneer for women’s sports.” She has had a positive influence on the history of women’s ski jumping through her unique character.

Mario Stecher, the sporting director of ski jumping and Nordic combined in the ÖSV, also paid respect to the athlete. “Daniela Iraschko-Stolz is a role model for all future generations of athletes and especially ski jumpers. Her willingness to perform, her will and her enthusiasm were extraordinary. If you look at how Daniela fought her way back again and again despite several injuries “If I was able to show absolute top performances, then that is more than impressive and unique in women’s ski jumping.”