Eva Pinkelnig has dished out the goods. © NTB / TERJE BENDIKSBY

The all-round attack of the injured star ski jumper

One month after tearing her cruciate ligament on the Olympic normal hill in Predazzo, ski jumper Eva Pinkelnig is optimistic about the future. However, the Vorarlberg native had less than warm words for the International Ski Federation (FIS) in an interview with ORF.

19 October 2025

From: apa/det

In light of the known problems with the ski jump, she criticized the negligent treatment of the athletes. "Simply rushing us down under time pressure" was the absolutely wrong decision.

Pinkelnig, the 2022/23 overall World Cup winner, feels like she's been used as a guinea pig, the 37-year-old explained on the program Sport am Sonntag. "We now know that the hill's profile is difficult. The FIS race director personally spoke of faulty construction. (...) Why aren't we informed?" Pinkelnig said. "People always talk about it, but we athletes are the focus."

Eva Pinkelnig suffered serious injuries. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

Pinkelnig, as is well known, wasn't the only victim of the new facilities; Canadian star Alexandria Loutitt and Nordic combined athlete Haruka Kasai of Japan, the latter competing on the large hill, all suffered cruciate ligament tears on the same weekend. "Does it take three seriously injured athletes, or two on this hill and only one on the hill next to it (...), to know that something isn't right?"

“I’ll still achieve a little something”

Pinkelnig, who describes herself as "a highly sensitive person," also offered insight into her emotional life before and after the accident. "To be honest, I longed for change inside," she said, citing "too little time for personal development" and "too little attention to how we feel as people" as shortcomings in competitive sports. "Unfortunately, in terms of our environment and understanding, we often misunderstood each other. During this whole process, I simply realized that I was losing myself to some extent."

In any case, rehab is going well, and the thought of returning to sports is there. Even if the 2026 Olympics are out of the question and the 2030 Games are coming too late for her. "It's just not meant to be. But that's completely okay. I've achieved so much else. And I believe I'll achieve a little bit more, too."