Austria’s World Cup defending champion wants to regain the feeling of flying on the ski jumps on the Kulm and then at the World Championships in Oberstdorf – and to bring constancy back into his performance.
Kraft talks in an interview about his season so far, the weak team performance of the ÖSV and possible changes in his personal World Cup plan before the Olympic trip.
Question: You were the outstanding jumper last season, but so far it has not gone as planned. Are you disappointed with the progress so far?
Stefan Kraft:”Hard to say. You always have to see the situations as they were. It could also look a little different. I’m sure I realize I’m not quite so stable. I’ve had a lot of jumps with the A’s lit up, but unfortunately this is not quite the case at the competitions. The very good jumps are unfortunately disappearing again and again because it is not yet so constant. Constancy is the most important thing and it’s missing a little bit.”
Question: To what extent does the overall team situation burden you? Wouldn’t it be more pleasant for the psyche to have someone else jump into the breach for you?
Kraft:”Yes, it’s certainly cool when a youngster or someone else comes along and shows that they are working well. I look at myself anyway and want to do my thing, but for the whole team it would be super important. We all do a good job and especially in summer: If the courses we all do together would bear fruit, that would be good for the team. And even though you can see that we’ve worked well with the material.”
Question: Now the hot phase begins until the Olympic Games. Are the Kulm and the World Championships in Oberstdorf next week only transit posts on the way to the formation of the Olympic Games?
Kraft:”No, that’s more than that. I’ve always been extremely looking forward to the ski flying world championship because I’m really good at ski flying. I’ve always been the best at bringing that together in the last three or four years. I hope that it will be so again this year and that I will be able to display my flying qualities again. The ski-flying world championship has always been a big goal and Oberstdorf was always in my head.”
Question: Has your love of skiing actually intensified since the world record in Vikersund?
Strength:”Yes, certainly a little bit. That’s just something that will last forever. Also the flights to Planica, where I flew twice over 250 m, is something special. Also at the Kulm now before the first flight, you never know exactly what it is like, because it’s been a while. You’re always a little more excited.”
Question: Has something changed in your planning until the Olympics or has something changed? could it be that you’re skipping a World Cup competition before that?
Strength:”It’s hard to say. I will not make a big decision before Zakopane, Zakopane is one week after Oberstdorf. Until then everything is clear, then you have to see if you need a workout or go to Willingen. That’s gonna be a 50-50 thing – as it’s gonna be necessary right now. If I get a good feeling about skiing now, and I like Zakopane very much, then I will take Willingen with me. You have to be there on day X anyway.”
Question: Are the thoughts about the games in Pyeongchang already getting stronger?
Power:”No, not yet. It’s another month, it’s very long. Physically, the power stimuli are already set in such a way that the gas does not run out, but we have already done this in summer so that it still fits well by the end of March. I’ve never been sick this year, and that’s nice.”
Question: And maybe the mould construction turns out to be just right….
Kraft:”All I know is that things have always been going very well out back in recent years. Now there are ski jumps that are very good for me, and now it’s time for ski flying. You have to do it with more feeling anyway.”