Austrian ski jumper Stephan Embacher has continued to build on his success at the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival 2023 Friuli Venezia Giulia, where he won gold medals in the individual and team normal hill events.

This year, he made his debut at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup and enjoyed an outstanding FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Planica with three golds in the normal hill individual, team and mixed team events. Embacher followed it up with a first World Cup top 10 finish in the large hill event in Lahti, where he also helped Austria to place second in the team large hill event.

Embacher expressed his love for ski jumping and how it fuels his desire to compete at the Olympic Games and World Championships.

He said: “I am very thankful to be chosen as a candidate and to represent Austria. It’s something very special and makes me proud to have been selected and to be part of it.

“What characterises me is that I always keep going, even when things aren’t going so well. And the sport also gives me an extreme sense of stability in my everyday life. Having success is always nice, you work hard for it and it’s these special moments that keep me going and give me even more strength and self-confidence.”