Ninth ladies World Cup season in ski jumping was dominated by Austrians, who were only bested by Maren Lundby. The Norwegian athlete managed to defend the first position and reached for the Crystal Globe for the second time in her career. Chiara Hoelzl was the unlucky runner-up after worse performance in Lillehammer.
The athlete from Salzburg has recently turned 23 years old and is one of the more experienced ski jumpers in the World Cup. She debuted in November 2012 and a few months later she was already a member of the silver medalists team in the mixed World Championships competition. The real breakthrough for Hoezl was the 2019/2020 season, when she won six World Cup competitions.
“I didn’t expect such a good season. Of course, you work for the success all year long and then hope for good results. But the fact that everything went that well was a big surprise” – admits Chiara Hoelzl.
Austrian girls manage to win the 2019/2020 Nations Cup.
“We all worked hard and motivated each other. We are all good friends in the team which helps a lot. The chemistry in our team is just great” – added Hoelzl.
23-year old from Austria joined the fight for the Crystal Globe already in the second winter competition, when she won in Klingenthal.
“Success in Klingenthal was something really special for me. Also the two victories in Oberstdorf and Hinzenbach, with my family in the audience, were something that every athlete dreams about” – admits Chiara.
Austrian skier entered RAW Air tournament with just 26 points ahead of Maren Lundby. Her slightly weaker performance in Lillehammer resulted in switching places between the two competitors. Cancelled due to COVID-19 competitions in Trondheim and Russia made it impossible for her to fight back.
“Everything happened really fast and unpredictable. It was a difficult period for all of us, but I tried to enjoy the extra free time I could spend at home and some after-season peace. I usually miss those things” – tells Hoezl.
Last winter the Austrian became the official record holdeer of the HS 137 hill in Oberstdorf – the host of the 2021 first ladies competition at the large hill in the history of world championships.
“The expectations are huge and the World Championships are the most anticipated event of the upcoming winter season. Right now I’m mostly focused on my summer preparations though” – claims the best Austrian ski jumper of the last winter.