With 30 World Cup competitions and the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, a winter with many highlights awaits the women's ski jumping athletes. "The goal remains to jump far and cheer loudly," says Eva Pinkelnig, not wanting to commit to results ahead of the opening mixed team competition on Friday in Lillehammer, Norway.

Career plan until the 2026 Olympics
However, the Dornbirn native has precise ideas when it comes to career planning: "The stated goal is the 2026 Olympic Games on our doorstep. China was a catastrophic experience in every respect. Ending my career in front of friends and family would be the icing on the cake." There are very personal reasons for the 36-year-old's decision to call it a day: "The clock is also ticking. It's my lifelong dream to have a family and children of my own one day."

In sporting terms, the trained nursery school teacher has already exceeded all her goals as a late starter at the age of 24: "Winning the World Cup was never my childhood dream. I never believed that I would one day have a crystal ball in my hand."

At the moment, however, Pinkeling can hardly wait for the World Cup opener: "I'm healthy, I'm fit, I still enjoy ski jumping. And there's still plenty of potential."

Last year, she had to take a break until the turn of the year due to severe knee problems: "I was so good back then in the summer that I jumped a little too far. This year we've kept it well in check. There were training sessions where I only did one jump."

On the one hand, Eva listens to her gut feeling, on the other hand, she has built up a great environment with the Ski Association and the Dornbirn Olympic Center: "It's a perfect solution when so many systems interlock, where the expertise communicates with each other without ego."

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