Alex Insam: “Solitude also has advantages”

The 21-year-old from Wolkenstein forms a one-man national team. Apart from him, there is not a single ski jumper from Italy who regularly appears in the World Cup. This status brings with it privileges, but also dark sides, like Insam SportNews -Interview reveals.

The new season starts on Friday with the World Cup qualification in Wisla ( here go to the preview). What feelings do you have when entering?

Alex Insam: “With very mixed ones. I chose a new coach, Matjaz Zupan, and made a lot of changes over the summer. It was a difficult time at the beginning, but now I'm getting better and better. However, I don’t have a location estimate, so I can’t make a forecast yet.”

You mention the lack of comparison with competitors. How performance-inhibiting is this circumstance? “Unfortunately, I’m the only one in the A squad at the moment. Athletes from Slovenia or those from our B national team often take part in training sessions. But I’m sure: a little more competition would help me enormously in my development.”

“Some days you think to yourself: It’s somehow a sad story.” How difficult is it to travel around the globe as a lone fighter? “When I look at other teams and see the cohesion and exchange they have, it obviously hurts. Some days the loneliness bothers me and then I think to myself: It's somehow a sad story. But I also learned about the advantages. For example, I receive full attention from trainers and supervisors, almost personal support. There are now some interesting young jumpers coming up who have what it takes to compete in the World Cup in the future. “I’ve also known a lot of people in the ski jumping circuit over the years who keep you happy in difficult times.”

Alex Insam, here in Milan, trained on unfamiliar terrain over the summer. © Instagram Alex Insam

How difficult will the times ahead of you be? “Due to the changes in my environment, it will certainly not be an easy season. On the other hand, I am convinced that this is the right way to take the next step. First of all, I would like to jump into the points more regularly, then at some point I would like to break the knot and improve significantly in international comparison.”

Which of your competitors will play the main roles in the upcoming winter? “I’m expecting the usual suspects around Ryoyu Kobayashi, Kamil Stoch and Co. There is a five to six-strong field of favorites, but in ski jumping it is very difficult to make predictions, as young athletes are constantly rising rapidly to the top.”

“Ski flying releases new emotions” Do you have a ski jump that you are particularly looking forward to? “I love Planica. The Ski Flying World Championships will take place there in March, which is the big highlight for me. We've completed a lot of training sessions there over the past few months, and I'm particularly fond of ski flying. The other technique, the long time in the air, releases completely new emotions. I work for moments like this all year long – even if it’s not always easy as a lone fighter.”

Questions: Alexander Foppa

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Alex Insam: “Solitude also has advantages”

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