Athlete profile: Andreas Widhölzl

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

Widhölzl's hometown of Fieberbrunn is so small that he was born in the larger St.Gallen, just a short distance away, because that is where the hospital was...but in the eyes of Widhölzl, Fieberbrunn is big enough -- big enough to have 18 chair lifts and big enough to have a 50-meter ski jump on which Widhölzl began jumping seriously when he was younger...since coming onto the World Cup scene at 17 years of age, Widhölzl has steadily risen six spots each year...26th in 1995, 20th in '96 and then 14th last year...if that pattern continues, Widhölzl will be in the top eight for the Olympic season..."I've always started my World Cup season slowly," says Widhölzl. "I have difficulties in the first few World Cups. My skis don't feel good on the snow"...he vows to rectify that problem this year...last year at the World Championships in Trondheim, Widhölzl placed eighth on the normal hill -- giving him a lot of confidence -- and a less impressive 31st on the large hill..."It's weird. I really prefer the large hill," says Widhölzl. "In fact, ski flying [a non-Olympic Events where the critical point jumps are up to 200 meters rather than 90m or 120m] is my favorite of all. But I have had better results on the normal hill"...at home in Fieberbrunn, Widhölzl's friends and family have started a small fan club...so far, the club has 35 members and has made up cool baseball caps to wear on the road..."Right now, the club is small. It is only six months old. They basically make a lot of noise cheering at the World Cup events"...who knows what an Olympic medal would do for the club...certainly Widhölzl is capable of winning a medal like his idol, Matti Nykänen or his mentor, Ernst Vettori...he also has a chance in the team competition, in which he choked earlier in his career..."At Thunder Bay in 1995 our team was jumping really well. I had two horrible jumps. We came in sixth because of me," he laments...but at the 1997 Worlds, Andreas jumped well...he did not name any names, but this time it was someone else who forced the Austrians to settle just out of a medal in fourth...that someone was countryman Martin Höllwarth...the team looks strong, though Widhölzl will bring no Olympic experience with him..."The team competition is unique since there are only a few events every year. In Nagano, every one needs to have an optimal performance to do well"...he says the team is doing well under the guidance of Finn Mika Koenlovsky, though he does not understand why they do not have an Austrian coach, given their strong ski jumping tradition...at home his father is retired and his mother takes care of the home...he is an only child and has had the nickname "Svider" ever since he has competed in ski jumping...so how did Svider make an impact at such a young age?..."Well, I am small and very light," he says. "You can see better when you are younger and you don't have a worry in the world"...although, Andreas says he was quite worried and scared the first time he went off of a jump...in his free time, Widhölzl says he likes to do everything outdoors, especially snowboarding at nearby Seefeld ski resort...he speaks a little English...