Youth Olympics

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Simone Eder, Andre Walkner and Celina Jost (from left).

(Bild: Gepa Pictures)

2500 kilometers away from home, the 51 members of the Austrian Olympic Committee (ÖOC) are getting serious today at the Youth Games in Georgia. A considerable part of the red-white-red team, 13 athletes to be precise, will come from the province of Salzburg. In addition to seven ice hockey talents, there are three biathletes, two cross-country skiers and one freeskier.

"Qualifying for the Olympic Games is one thing, but being at the start - nobody can really prepare you for that," says Christoph Sieber, the Chef de Mession. The 54-year-old knows exactly what he's talking about. Sieber, who competed for the UYC Wolfgangsee, won the gold medal in windsurfing at the 2000 Summer Games.

But he also adds: "You can learn, experience is worth a lot. This festival is the closest thing to the Olympic Games. There's no better way to practise it."

While some athletes, including freeskier André Walkner, arrived in Bakuriani early on Friday morning, the majority of the squad landed in the South Caucasus yesterday. "We will all sleep well," grins biathlete Simone Eder in view of the long journey in an interview with the "Krone".

The Leogang native inspected the cross-country ski trail and the shooting range on foot yesterday; the first training session is scheduled for Sunday. The anticipation for the competitions is great. "You quickly get a taste for it. This is the preliminary stage for the Olympic Games. And the goal for every athlete is to go to the Games at some point."

Eder: "My role model is definitely Anna Andexer"
Her role model also comes from Pinzgau. "That's definitely Anna Andexer," grins Simone. "I think it's cool that she entered the World Cup as a young athlete. She's also a warm person. We're friends and have even done training sessions together."

Eder's girlfriend Celina Jost also has someone to look up to. From Kuchl, she lives not far from Lea Rothschopf. They were also coached by the same coach, Walter Baumann. While Jost still relies on him, Rothschopf is now coached by the World Cup coaches.

"Lea personally wished me all the best. It's cool for me to see how successful she is. Conversely, she also thinks it's good that someone is coming after her," explains Jost, who is seeded for the sprint and singles. Participation in the relay events (mixed, single-mixed) will be decided at short notice.

Walkner: "This is a cool feeling"
André Walkner already has the first training session under his belt. "It was pretty windy, which made it difficult with the momentum over the kickers," he reports. "But after a few runs, I got into it really well."

Werfenwenger will be competing in slopestyle and big air. He has already trained and exchanged ideas with Matej Svancer, who is currently leading the big air discipline ranking in the World Cup, on several occasions. "As an athlete, he knows how you feel."

All three are delighted with the support from the ÖOC. "You feel appreciated and are treated like at the big games. It's a cool feeling," enthuses Jost.

Salzburgers in the EYOF team: Biathlon: Simone Eder, Celina Jost, Simon Hechenberger. - Ice hockey: Dominik Ferner, Martin Haim, Lucas Hartl, Benedikt Hengelmüller, Marc Hudritsch, Nico Koschek, Paul Schuster. Freeski: Andre Walkner. - Cross-country skiing: Eva Trigler, Niklas Walcher.