"There were a lot of emotions"

ÖSV eagle reveals: Mario Kart against World Championships frustration

Daniel Tschofenig experienced a World Cup start to forget!

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The medal celebration of his teammate Jan Hörl was a good distraction for Daniel Tschofenig after the bitter disappointment on the normal hill, but that's not all, as the ÖSV eagle reveals. Mario Kart also played a significant role in overcoming his frustration. Now the Carinthian is planning to flip the switch quickly at the Nordic World Championships in Trondheim in order to hoard medals himself.

Together with Hörl and the other ÖSV eagles, Tschofenig celebrated the first World Championship medal for the Austrian ski jumpers late on Sunday evening in a pizzeria in Trondheim city center. "You have to celebrate the festivities as they fall," said the tour winner on the World Championships rest day, which is not an everyday occurrence. "You can also have a bit of a party in Jan's honor."

Tschofenig was positive on Monday, the 22-year-old seemed to have coped well with the setback at the start of the World Championships. "In principle, I know that I can do it," he emphasized. Despite the result, the jumps themselves were within reason. "They weren't completely bad. Now it's a matter of ironing out the little things."

"There were a lot of emotions involved"
Tschofenig put off analyzing his jumps for as long as possible on the rest day. "There were a lot of emotions yesterday and not much time. With emotions, you don't need to look too much into it, you can't see anything," explained the eight-time winner of the season. In any case, Tschofenig wants to leave the normal hill behind him quickly. "I'm really glad that I'm getting away from the small one now. Last year I had a hard time there and finished 14th. I'm really looking forward to the big one," he said. Tschofenig finished third on the podium on this last year.

Tschofenig distracted himself a little with Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch and walks in rainy Trondheim before continuing with three training sessions on the large hill on Tuesday. The mixed team competition is on the program on Wednesday, and alongside Tschofenig, Hörl and Stefan Kraft, sixth on the normal hill, are also hoping for a starting place. "The best two will jump," said Tschofenig, who is relaxed about the internal competition: "It will be cool. The small one is not so representative of the big one."