Trio in brief portrait

Which ÖSV eagle will take the crown today?

From the left: Jan Hörl, Stefan Kraft or Daniel Tschofenig - who will be crowned overall tour winner today?

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Before the final of the Four Hills Tournament in Bischofshofen (16:30, we'll be reporting live), three ÖSV eagles have pulled ahead of the rest of the field. Stefan Kraft, Jan Hörl or Daniel Tschofenig - one of them will probably be crowned the winner today. We present the trio once again before the grand final. 

Qualification winner Stefan Kraft goes into the tour final today with only 0.6 points ahead of Jan Hörl. Daniel Tschofenig in third place is only 1.3 points behind Kraft. A brief portrait of the three ÖSV eagles.

Stefan Kraft, the phenomenon
The man from Salzburg has been a permanent guest at the top of the world for more than ten years. Numerous trophies such as three individual World Championship titles and overall World Cup successes, including 45 individual victories, testify to his exceptional position. "It's a lot of work. I'm sometimes surprised that I manage to do it again and again. I can draw on a lot of things that I've already experienced and that have worked. Nevertheless, I always have to reinvent myself," says Kraft. Away from the ÖSV structures, the 31-year-old from Pongau has relied on the support of Patrick Murnig for many years; another important contact is his long-time roommate Michael Hayböck. "With the help of the environment, coaches, family and friends, thank God we always manage to make the Stefan Kraft system work."

ÖSV head coach Andreas Widhölzl describes his long-time top man as a team player, a role model for his younger colleagues and an outstanding competitor. "He is extremely ambitious, very focused and hard-working. He's an insane killer in competition, he has the gift of stepping it up when it counts." Widhölzl denies that Kraft, who has been married since 2023, might even be too nice. "He knows exactly what he wants. He also communicates this and has the right to do so in his position." And he is also given certain freedoms. "For me, it's important that he enjoys ski jumping for as long as possible and stays with us for as long as possible."

However, the 2015 tour winner has no plans to put the jumping poles in the corner any time soon. After all, the Bayern Munich fan with a penchant for banter is still missing a major title with individual Olympic gold.

Jan Hörl, the kangaroo
The 26-year-old has the riskiest jumping style in the ÖSV team and also has record-breaking jumping power. "He is physically extremely well-balanced and extremely lively - not a kangaroo," says Widhölzl about the Pongau native. Hörl has not only steadily improved over the past few years, but has also matured as a person. "He has worked very hard on himself, not just athletically, but also in terms of his attitude." Former performance outliers are now rare. "He has become more and more stable, he used to be more vulnerable," says Widhölzl. What the SC Bischofshofen athlete has retained is his willingness to take risks. "He is certainly the most attack-minded of them all, who likes to take risks and go full throttle. Jan is not one to play it safe. Most of the time, when he plays it safe, things get worse."

Jan Hörl

(Bild: GEPA)

Hörl also says that he has become more disciplined, more determined and, in a way, more mature. "I know exactly what I want and what I need. I've already filtered out a lot of things that I don't want," said the Salzburger, who has really exploded this season. The environment in the ÖSV, but also the support on a private level, are responsible for his current peak phase. "The path I've taken is working. Nothing can throw me off track so quickly."

Despite some pithy sayings ("Victory or coffin"), Hörl is not a talkative explainer, he prefers to let his performances do the talking. These have steadily improved over the past two seasons; a year ago, he won his first tour jumping competition in Innsbruck and finished fourth overall. In the current edition, he and his ÖSV team colleagues flew away from everyone else after two victories in the run-up.

Daniel Tschofenig, the perfectionist
In the wake of his teammates, the Carinthian, who is considered to be particularly ambitious, has become a permanent guest on the podium in recent weeks. ÖSV head coach Andreas Widhölzl does not believe that the 22-year-old, who is in a relationship with Canadian ski jumper Alexandria Loutitt, still gets in his own way from time to time. "Ambition is not negative at all. I think he is very goal-oriented. It's very clear to him that he wants to win. He works consistently towards that." Tschofenig says he has become more relaxed in this respect. "I've learned that if you're too ambitious, it can backfire. You can lose yourself extremely quickly in the whole thing. That's why I've got out of the spasmodic habit of trying to do everything perfectly." The man from Innsbruck sees himself more as a perfectionist. "That may be a negative statement, but it's actually a positive thing when you try to be the best."

Daniel Tschofenig

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Tschofenig, who comes from Hohenthurn, learned his trade on the SV Achomitz ski jumps, just like Karl Schnabl once did. The Stams graduate's flying system was perfected by the coaching staff around ÖSV head coach Andreas Widhölzl, who brought the highly talented junior world champion into the national team early on. According to Widhölzl, Tschofenig has the most stable basic technique in the entire team and a particularly pronounced body awareness. "His technique is a bit unique, but everyone has their own style. Optimizing that is the great art, and not trying to squeeze everyone into one image." Tschofenig's stability in flight allows him to shine even in adverse conditions. He has done this with impressive regularity since the start of the season with his first three victories and further podium places, including the World Cup lead - despite missing two months of jump training in the summer due to an adductor injury.

The proverbial flow also carried him through the tour. "I went into it very relaxed. I have my seven plums together, then it flies." If he maintains this high level, Austrian fans will be able to enjoy him for many years to come.