World champion, overall World Cup winner and Tourneetriumphator: Andreas Goldberger has won everything there is to win in his career – with the exception of Olympic gold. However, the 45-year-old does not mourn the dream, but remembers curious experiences such as training sessions in the Olympic village with Prince Albert.
Goldberger also analyses the current shape crisis of the Austrian ski jumping team and talks about his trips to extreme sports, during which he travelled to Greenland for a three-day cross-country marathon, among other things. The 20 times World Cup winner is also concerned about the preservation of ski jumping and wishes for more Cristiano Ronaldo types.
SPOX: Mr. Goldberger, you celebrated your greatest successes during the tour or in the World Cup. At the Olympics, things never went really well. Is that why you feel melancholy?
Andreas Goldberger: As a child, I always said that I wanted to become Olympic champion and world record holder. This goal is immensely important: If I say that I want to win a World Cup jumping competition, this can be achieved quickly. But an Olympic victory is usually a goal for the entire career. Ultimately, there is no disappointment because an Olympic victory can be judged less in terms of athletic performance than a tour victory or a triumph in the overall World Cup. Athletes know this from a sporting point of view – but of course everyone likes to have an Olympic victory on their business card.
SPOX: What is your most beautiful memory of Olympia?
Goldberger: The 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer. I was in great shape, the Norwegians organized everything perfectly, the atmosphere was incredible – that’s how you imagine Olympia. I never experienced that again later.
SPOX: From a sporting point of view, however, it didn’t necessarily go as planned.
Goldberger: I don’t regret anything, because I have always done my best. But it’s true, in Lillehammer, I would have had more of it. Maybe there was a little bit of Wind-Pech, but I think happiness comes back at another time in life. A few months later I was the first person to fly over 200 meters, but the jump was so badly prepared that I couldn’t stand the jump. Six years later, when I least expected it, I suddenly jumped to the world record (19. March 2000,225 meters in Planica, Note d. Red.).
SPOX: How can you imagine life in the Olympic Village?
Goldberger: The athletes have everything at their disposal, from amusement parks and restaurants to playdolls. In Salt Lake City we weren’t so successful in sport, but it was still amazing to see all the ice hockey stars like Wayne Gretzky (2002 General Manager of the Canadian National Team, Note. d. Red.). I can remember that during a training session at the gym, Prince Albert put some weights next to me because he was preparing for his work in the bobsleigh. These are simply cool experiences that you will remember forever.
SPOX: Are there any rumours that the Olympic village is always going well, especially at a late hour?
Goldberger: I didn’t experience it that way – unfortunately. (laughs) Every time I went to the Olympic Village, we didn’t do anything, we didn’t feel like celebrating. Of course, there are always big parties, but I also think that everyone is writing a little bit about it.
SPOX: At the Olympics, interest in ski jumping naturally increases. Looking forward to the competitions in Pyeongchang?
Goldberger: Definitely! The South Koreans have put up a spectacular jump. The starting tower looks great and is already a real landmark. Last year the conditions in the World Cup were perfect, the course was well prepared, but there is a problem.
SPOX: Which one?
Goldberger: The plant is extremely susceptible to wind. They have installed a good wind net all around, but if it blows head-on on the jump, it could be critical, and no nets will help. Last year, however, the competitions went very well.
SPOX: What are the characteristics of the hill?
Goldberger: On both the normal and the large hill you need certain flight qualities. The flight curve isn’t that high, so you just have to jump hard. The normal hill is quite large with a hill size of 109 meters, so you need a good flight phase. This will also be an extremely attractive competition for the ladies.
SPOX: Is there something like a favourite for you?
Goldberger: Nevertheless, it is difficult to say whether the jump will benefit a specific jumper. The athletes in top form always adapt well to the jump. All I can say is that with the wind and gate rules, the odds of an underdog win are minimal.
SPOX: In an interview with SPOX, you once told me that you were under enormous pressure at the beginning of your career because you were the only jumper in your team with a chance of winning. Media appointments in particular would have cost a lot of substance. Has the same now happened to Stefan Kraft?
Goldberger: Somehow it’s good to be asked if you are in the centre of attention. But if you are the only one who has to make these appointments, it is of course exhausting. I found the old rule that the best ten in the World Cup are excluded from qualifying for the competitions a good one. These jumpers have a much greater effort to make the event more attractive overall. Of course, the media always want to talk to the best and eventually you run out of gas. But I don’t think that was the reason for that with Stefan Kraft.
SPOX: but?
Goldberger: Kraft is a sociable guy who would never lock himself in the room alone. If the team doesn’t jump well, it gets close to him because he simply values his colleagues very much. Stefan’s competitions were a little unhappy at the beginning of the season, and he has also beaten up some of the jumps himself. Suddenly the outsiders know everything better and tell you what you can do better. I think the games in South Korea – far away from home – are quite right for him. The conditions are a little bit more comfortable for an Austrian than on a tour, so the balance of power can look completely different.
SPOX: Do you trust the Austrian team to solve the current problems?
Goldberger: Absolutely. In the singles, I only count Stefan Kraft as one of the favourites, but if the others can call up their normal form, then Austria has a chance to win a team medal. But other teams such as Poland, Germany or Norway are lurking. Stefan Kraft has covered a lot in the past season. Of course, there were also some injuries, but you have to accept them.
SPOX: Many Austrian head coaches work for the international associations. How can this be explained?
Goldberger: We have a very good education in Austria. Our coaches in the performance centres in Eisenerz, Saalfelden or Stams are good, but above all very ambitious and set themselves high goals. There is only one head coach position in Austria, and if – as in recent years – the results are good, there is no getting by. If there is an offer abroad, the trainers will naturally be happy to accept it, just like Werner Schuster in Germany, Stefan Horngacher in Poland or Alexander Stöckl in Norway, for example. It is also clear that you will lose these coaches in Austria at some point.
SPOX: How do you assess the chances of German jumpers?
Goldberger: I feel terribly sorry for Severin’s friend. I know him well and appreciate him very much. His second cruciate ligament rupture is extremely bitter, but the Germans are nevertheless incredibly successful. While Andi Wellinger was already convincing last year, Richard Freitag impresses me very much because he was still in the Continental Cup a year ago. I trust that after the unfortunate tour at Olympia his great moment will come. The Germans are very strong on the team.
Page 1: Andreas Goldberger on trainings with Prince Albert and the crisis of ÖSV-Adler
Page 2: Andreas Goldberger on nights in the Arctic and the development of ski jumping