The ascent continues!

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Happy New Year!

The whole season I already feel very good and I’m glad that I could take this positive feeling into the new year.

After our short Christmas break, we were all looking forward to the start of the tournament in Oberstdorf. After all, this was the first tour with an audience in two years. And it was wonderful! At all stops, the spectators came in masses to the stadiums and made a super atmosphere. Thanks for that!

My performances in the tour were very constant, on a high level, with the places 12 in Oberstdorf, 10 in Garmisch, 7 in Innsbruck and 4 in Bischofshofen I was second best Austrian in the top 10 of the overall ranking behind Krafti.

The following week we had a great start in Zakopane and I could win the team competition together with Krafti, Fetti and Dani (Tschofenig). In the individual jumps I was again fully involved, but unfortunately not quite under the TOP 10.

The jump under the TOP 10 I managed then in Japan again, at least in the qualis 😉 but also the competitions were good; on Sunday the result was a little bit blown by the wind. Congratulations to Krafti, who celebrated his 27th World Cup win there on Saturday! 😊

On the way back from Japan, our whole team caught a virus. Some others and me unfortunately so badly that we could not travel to the Kulm for ski flying. I was so looking forward to flying in front of an Austrian audience. But the team delivered, the air show was tremendous!

Fortunately, I am feeling better now and can make the trip to Willingen. For me it is important to stay in the flow. I’m looking forward to Willingen – but almost more to Lake Placid a week later. During my comeback from the disc surgery I could win once on the small hill and twice on the big hill in the Conticup there.

And after the USA comes the World Championships and of course I am already curious how we will do there. In any case, I will give everything again in the coming weeks …

 

Yours Michi

Back again!

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Shortly before Christmas and the upcoming Four Hills Tournament, it’s time to get back to you. The past few weeks have been very good from a sporting point of view and I am really happy to be back in the World Cup.

After I had secured my starting place in the World Cup through good performances in the Continental Cup in the summer, I was able to jump free from the beginning. Especially because my back is super stable and doesn’t show any complaints.

The winter season started for us traditionally with the Austrian Championships in Bischofshofen and Ramsau, then we went to Wisla/Poland, where we started the World Cup season for the first time with a so-called hybrid competition (start on ice, land on the mats).

Then we went to Ruka/Finland and there I could fix my first TOP 10 place this season. It was even better in Titisee-Neustadt: In the first competition I only just missed the podium as fourth, but as the best Austrian I was able to fix my starting place in the mixed team jumping the next day. Together with Eva Pinkeling, Sara Marita Kramer and Stefan Kraft we celebrated a great victory; I was really happy to finally be able to stand at the top of the podium in the World Cup again.

The following World Cup in Engelberg was a bit of a rollercoaster ride: In the first jump it didn’t go well at all and I didn’t manage to qualify for the second round. But I managed to stay calm, didn’t think too much about it and tried to be free in the second jump. I succeeded and with 7th place I was back where I wanted to be. This experience of getting “back on track” even after a bad jump was very valuable for me and balm on my soul.

Now, in the days before Christmas, we trained diligently and I defined our strategy for the Four Hills Tournament with my systemic coach Patrick Murnig. Now I enjoy the quiet holidays and look forward to Christmas with my family.

I hope to see you at the Tournament, this time there will be an audience in the stadiums at all stations again, that will be mega!

I wish you and your families a blessed Christmas, good health and a successful year 2023!

 

Yours Michi

A summer like it should be!

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Training, training, training! As I mentioned last time, I’ve been training all summer long. I was in Planica – the World Championships will take place there in February -, with the whole team in Lillehammer and after the Summer Grand Prix in Courchevel we added a few days of training. In between, of course, we are busy at the training grounds in Salzburg.

And it’s great fun! After my painful experiences with my back last season, I can look forward to every training session. My back can take anything and I’m pain-free. In addition, we were able to work a lot on the material and make some progress in this area as well. Finally, a summer like it should be!

Many of you might have wondered why I jumped in the Continental Cup this summer instead of the Summer Grand Prix. It has to do with our quota places in the World Cup. If we want to compete again in winter with the maximum of 7 jumpers, we need a lot of points – also in the Continental Cup. My victory and my second place, as well as the good placements of the rest of the team at the competition in Stams in Tyrol, have already contributed a lot to reach our goal.

Another highlight of the past weeks was my contract extension with Energie AG. For many years the Energie AG sports family has been supporting me and I am really grateful that we continue this way together.

A really big hug goes out to my best buddy Stefan Kraft. Krafti finally got married – and married his long-time girlfriend Marisa. Congratulations, my best wishes go with you! But I’ll still be your room-mate at the World Cups! 😉

Before the winter really starts, I’m looking forward to the Austrian Championships in Bischofshofen and Ramsau. Last year I couldn’t take part due to my spinal disc surgery, but this year I’m back in action!

I’ll tell you how it went!
See you soon
Michi 🙂

Summer is coming…

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After the holidays, I started my summer preparation in order to be well prepared for the coming winter. The first training sessions went well and were really fun.

At the beginning of May, we went to Vienna for a weekend together with Krafti, Jo Lamparter and the JumpandReach family. We enjoyed our time in the capital and visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral on an exclusive guided tour – it was really interesting and also very cool because we were allowed to go to the top and look down on the city from there. The following day we took part in the “Wings for Life World Run” in Vienna. After two years, the run finally took place again for everyone together and it was really cool to be in the middle of it and start running in the front row! 🙂 Together with 10,000 others we collected kilometres and thus also a lot of money for spinal cord research.

At the end of May we met again in Seefeld in Tyrol to celebrate the end of the season. Together we celebrated the 20th birthday of JumpandReach and met many former companions, a really great evening! In addition to a hike in the mountains of the Seefeld plateau, we visited an organic farm together with many children and were able to see at first hand how regional and healthy fruit, vegetables and meat are produced. Of course we also tasted everything! 😉

Now, when it gets really hot and everyone else goes on holiday, we are already in the middle of intensive preparations. Besides a lot of material tests, we are building up the physical basics for the long winter and of course also fine-tuning our technique.

Maybe we can manage a little holiday in between until the start of the summer competitions, I will definitely tell you about it!

See you soon and take care
Michi 🙂

Hello spring :)

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Hi guys,

after the really good end to last season, I’ve really been enjoying spring. Especially because I’ve been pain-free for months now and am really looking forward to preparing for next winter. But first I need to relax a bit and do some cool things away from ski jumping 🙂

The off-season started for me on the ski slopes: Together with the JumpandReach family, I experienced a wonderful day in the Hochzillertal ski resort. This get-together has already become a tradition, so it was really nice that the ski day could take place again. It’s always cool to see everyone again after the season and to catch up – there’s usually not so much time for that in winter… I was especially pleased that I could keep up with everyone on the alpine skis and didn’t have to think about my back.

After that it was time for a holiday! I fulfilled a dream and spent some really cool days in New York. It’s a city I’ve always wanted to see. There, we did a lot of sightseeing, but also just walked through the city and admired the tall buildings and soaked up the “American way of life”. To escape the traffic chaos, we even explored the city by bike – a real experience!

Back home, we have already started preparing for the next season, so I will keep you posted.

See you soon,
Michi

My special winter is over

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The ski jumping season ended a few days ago and I have to say that, from my point of view, it comes a bit too early. I feel really good physically and would definitely be motivated to hang on a few more weeks, especially since it has been going quite well for me lately. 🙂

But until then it was also a lot of work. Since my disk surgery in October, a lot has happened: Recovery, start of training, first jumps on the hill, comeback at the Bergisel, Conti Cup and then came the Ski Flying World Championships in Vikersund.

The fact that I made it to the Ski Flying World Championships really made me happy and is also a confirmation of my way. Ski flying itself is a really cool feeling and I was also excited to be back on the road with the World Cup team. I’m really satisfied with my 7th place in the individual and I’m really happy for Krafti that he won the bronze medal. It was just a pity that we missed a medal with the team. That would have been another absolute highlight for me personally. Nevertheless, it was a good World Championships for me and I really like to think back.

I really enjoyed the final ski flying events in Oberstdorf and Planica. The weather was great, the fans created an incredible atmosphere and I was able to jump onto the podium with the team at the end. That was almost the perfect end to the season for me.

And when I look back on this journey, I can really say with confidence that all the hard work over the last few months has paid off, even if it wasn’t always easy. So I’m all the happier with my progress, but also a little sad that the season is over.

Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to spring and summer, because there are always some cool things coming up. But before that, I’m going skiing again to enjoy the last moments of winter. I can’t put the skis in the corner that fast ;).

I would also like to thank all of you who have supported me so energetically over the last few months and who have cheered along with me. Thanks also for the numerous messages, reading my blog and following my way since my surgery. That has always really pleased and motivated me.

See you soon and take care

Michi 🙂

I really look forward to ski flying!

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First things first: my back is doing great! For me it’s still unbelievable that I’m doing so well physically now. In addition, the past weeks have been great in terms of sports and I am really looking forward to returning to the World Cup. And of course I’m especially looking forward to ski flying. 🙂

But, as always, everything in order. In January I trained well and of course I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t go to Beijing, because the Olympic Games are something very special. But just the fact that I had the chance to qualify was hard to believe. Shortly after my disk surgery, the Olympics just seemed so far away.

Even though I couldn’t be there, I was of course rooting for my teammates in front of the TV. Of course, the fact that the boys actually won team gold topped everything. And now Krafti also has an Olympic medal – after all, I’ve already had mine since 2014. 😉 And the silver medal from Fetti is also really cool.

I was able to use the time during the Olympic Games quite well to train further and therefore I collected points for the quota in the Conti Cup. I will especially remember the trip to Iron Mountain, Michigan. It was my first trip to the USA and definitely a cool experience. It was especially cool that I could even jump on the podium once with a 3rd place – again a confirmation that our plan works.

After that I went to Brotterode-Trusetal in Germany, where my jumps were okay, but overall I didn’t really like the hill. But that’s how it can go sometimes. It was all more easy-going in Norway. The hill in Rena suited me better and I could jump on the podium on both competition days. That was really cool, four really good competition jumps in a row!

But the highlight in the Conti Cup was definitely my victory in Planica last weekend. To be on top again is a wonderful feeling and I am extremely grateful for that. The past months have been a long process and a really special time, which is why I am even more pleased that the path I planned with my coach Patrick has gone so well so far.

This weekend I’m still competing at the Conti Cup in Lahti and after that the focus is fully on ski flying, because I collected enough points for the quota in the last weeks. Ski flying is simply an indescribable feeling and I can hardly wait until it starts again. Also I hope you have time to watch us live or on TV on the big hills in the next days and weeks.

See you next time,
Michi 🙂

Our plan was successful!

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First of all a happy new year to all of you! 🙂

My year has started really cool, I made great progress after my disk surgery and could even participate in the World Cup.

After my first jumps at the beginning of December, I was really happy that our plan had worked out and I was able to put almost full weight on my body. In the following days until Christmas, I trained very hard and at the same time made sure that I didn’t overdo it. A few days after Christmas came the first test: I traveled to Engelberg with the Continental Cup Team.

There, I made another step forward and was able to make very stable jumps. I even finished the competition on Sunday on the podium, it couldn’t have gone any better up to that point. Now I was already able to think a little bit in the direction of the Four Hills Tournament.

Shortly after the surgery I could not predict when and how I would be back on the hill, but only a little later my coach Patrick and I had a plan, and there the goal “Bergisel” was at the top of the list. When I really made it the Bergisel on the 3rd of January, I could hardly believe that we really managed to do the almost impossible.

THANK YOU to everyone who helped me along the way!

At the qualifier that day, I still didn’t have a good body feeling and just missed the competition as 51st. Unfortunately the Bergisel jumping had to be cancelled due to wind, but so I had the possibility to start again at the replacement competition in Bischofshofen.
On my home hill it went much better. After the passed qualification, I could fully attack and jumped into the top 10! The most beautiful 9th place of my career!
The relief and joy I felt that day are indescribable. It’s just nice that the work and patience paid off. And I now know that I can perform well again in the World Cup. The next day I felt that I still have to manage my strength, so I am very satisfied with 22nd place.

After that it was back to training and stabilizing. Among other things, I did some jumps together with my buddy Stefan Kraft in Ramsau. This weekend I will be back in the World Cup, in Zakopane I will try to take the next step. And if there is something new to report, I will of course get back to you. 🙂

See you then
Michi

I’m back on the hill

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Almost exactly two months after my surgery I could do my first jumps on the hill in Seefeld and that was really cool. 🙂

Since I only started training again in mid-November, I still have some catching up to do, but I’ve made good progress in the last few weeks. I’m definitely very happy with my progress and how it’s going so far. Nevertheless, I am aware that there is still a lot of work ahead of me on the way back.

That’s why I was really happy when I could finally do my first jumps again. The feeling of sitting on the beam and being in the air is simply incredible. To be honest, I’ve been missing that a lot, so the anticipation was big in the last few days. I’m also really happy that everything worked out well during the first jumps, because I was admittedly a bit excited.

So, I’m very happy how well everything is going. It’s now important to keep on working hard, to stay positive and to find the right balance between training and regeneration so that I don’t put too much strain on my back. Despite my big motivation, I still have to be careful because the surgery was only two months ago.

I will use the next days and weeks to work exactly on my jumps so that I continue to make such great progress. In any case, I will give myself the time I need to come back and not try to force anything. And if there is something new to report, I will of course get back to you. 🙂

See you then
Michi

Finally back to training!

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As promised, I’m back with an update on my progress after the surgery to keep you updated. 🙂

It’s been several weeks since my disk surgery. Fortunately, everything has gone well since then and some improvements have been made. I have successfully completed the resting phase and the first light movements. Now I’m finally allowed to do physical training exercises again and work out a little.

So far I am satisfied with my progress and as long as everything continues like this, I am on a good way back. And of course that puts me in a positive mood for the future. However, I still have to take care of my back and not exercise too much, even though I have a strong urge to move. 😉

I’ll just continue to see from week to week how my body reacts and how the situation develops. Due to the surgery and the break afterwards, I have a lot of catching up to do physically. However, I have already worked out a plan with my coach Patrick Murnig that will prepare me well for the next few weeks.

All in all, I hope to be fully fit again soon and I’m already looking forward to being back on the hill. I will keep you updated and when the time comes, I will definitely let you know. 🙂

See you soon

Michi