Ski Jumping: ÖSV Talent Surprisingly Crowned National Champion

Stephan Embacher is Austrian National Champion for the first time.

The 20-year-old Tyrolean won on Thursday at Innsbruck's Bergisel with 283.6 points, ahead of Clemens Aigner and Jan Hörl. It is Embacher's first ever medal at the Austrian Championships.

The Tyrolean laid the foundation for his success in the first round. After 133.5 meters, he followed up with 132.5 meters in the final, thereby maintaining his lead.

"Unexpected for me"

"It's the first time for me that I've been able to deliver at the Austrian Championships. I worked really well and made two top jumps in the competition. That's cool, of course, but unexpected for me after the training jumps," Embacher is quoted by "skispringen.com".

In the end, Embacher was 16.2 points ahead of Aigner and Hörl, who both took silver with 267.4 points each.

For the 20-year-old Embacher, it is a continuation of his strong form from last winter, when he finished sixth in the overall World Cup and was third in the Four Hills Tournament.

Hörl with Record Distance

However, Hörl delivered the longest jump. The Salzburg native flew 136.5 meters in the first round, setting a new summer record on Bergisel.

The previous best mark on mats had been held by Poland's Adam Malysz with 136 meters since 2004.

Zimmermann Narrowly Misses Podium

Behind the top trio, it was extremely close. Raffael Zimmermann missed the podium by just 0.7 points with 266.7 points, finishing fourth.

Stefan Kraft took fifth place with 263.4 points, followed by Daniel Tschofenig in sixth place with 262.9 points.

Eder Defends Her Title

Among the women, the title went to Lisa Eder once again. The 25-year-old jumped 120.5 meters twice and scored 251.4 points.

She thus prevailed with a 24.4-point lead over Hannah Wiegele, who achieved 119 meters each. Julia Mühlbacher completed the podium with 223.9 points.

However, the Austrian Championships are not yet concluded. On October 17, the master title on the normal hill will still be contested in Stams. After that, attention will turn to the final preparations for the World Cup opener.