After a top weekend

Only super eagle Kraft is still ahead of Wohlgenannt

Vorarlberg's Ulrich Wohlgenannt (left) was only beaten by Pawel Wasek (center) at the Grand Prix in Rasnov. Third place went to Kevin Bickner (r.)(Bild: zVg)

Vorarlberg's ski jumpers are in enviable form this summer. After Niklas Bachlinger, André Fussenegger and Ulrich Wohlgenannt have already celebrated victories in the FIS Cup, Wohlgenannt has now also made it onto the podium in the Grand Prix - the unofficial summer World Cup.

"Even if the absolute top athletes weren't at the Grand Prix in Rasnov due to the Conticup taking place at the same time in Stams and the fact that a World Cup quota place was at stake there, you still have to perform first and deliver like Uli Wohlgenannt did," said Christoph Kraxner, sports director of the Nordic athletes in the Vorarlberg Ski Association.

The 30-year-old from Dornbirn finished second and fourth at the weekend and is now tenth in the overall GP rankings as the second-best ÖSV eagle behind Stefan Kraft. "For Uli, not being considered for the ÖSV squad was a wake-up call and he worked very well over the summer."

Just like André Fussenegger from Dornbirn and Niklas Bachlinger from Schoppernau. "With Richard Schallert from Brandner, they have the perfect coach at the base in Innsbruck," Kraxner is convinced, but also knows that the battle for a place in the red-white-red World Cup team will be extremely tough. "We already had an extremely high density within the team last season and I believe that this has become even greater this winter."