Malsiner's anticipation of the Olympics and Insam's shattered dream

After her older sisters Manuela and Lara, who took part in Pyeongchang in 2018, 19-year-old Jessica Malsiner is now competing in the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

She is the only woman on Italy's ski jumping team, Giovanni Bresadola the only jumper. “Although this season didn’t go as planned, I’m really looking forward to the Olympic Games,” says Jessica Malsiner. She last trained in Tarvisio and will fly to China via Milan on February 1st. She is no longer allowed to go home because shielding is the most important thing in times of pandemic. The “smallest” of the Malsiner sisters does not want to express her goals for Beijing in terms of placings. “It’s important to me that I can show good jumps in Beijing, preferably the best ones of the entire season,” explains the happy nature.

She can only imagine what exactly awaits her in China. “The test stick in the nose is not comfortable, but we are used to it. There is certainly perfect organization in Beijing. I hope to be able to experience some of the Chinese culture,” reports Malsiner, who is competing in her second World Cup season this year. Malsiner would like to gain a better foothold in the World Cup in the next few years and be at the forefront.

For now, however, Beijing clearly has priority. “I got information from my sisters about the Olympics. “I’m glad that, after them, I can also take part in this major event,” Jessica continued. She doesn't have a talisman in her suitcase, but a book and her cell phone are a must. “This is the best way for me to switch off,” emphasizes the woman from Val Gardena.

The young jumper from Ortisei is a member of the financial guard. Corona “taken her by surprise” at the end of the Nordic World Ski Championships last year when she made a big impression with 15th place. Jessica has now been vaccinated, so nothing stood in the way of a nomination. Corona made Insam's dream shattered Alex Insam from Val Gardena, on the other hand, missed the Olympic Games; his dream was recently shattered by a Covid-19 illness. “I tested negative again on January 24th. But I was told it was too late to take part in Beijing. Only Giovanni Bresadola from Trentino and Jessica Malsiner are going to the Olympics. We could have formed an interesting mixed quartet with Lara Malsiner and me.”

The disappointment is clearly evident in Alex Insam's voice. Ski jumping is a fringe sport in the Italian winter sports association. The Azzurri mini-team finds it extremely difficult against major nations such as Austria, Germany and Norway, to name just three.

Alex Insam, ski jumper from Val Gardena.

Insam speaks plainly: “We do enough jumps because the jumps in Innsbruck or Seefeld are not far away. But there is a problem with the material. When it comes to suits and skis, we are miles behind the leading nations. I have to take every risk and hit the jump perfectly to have any chance.”

Everything went according to plan for Insam during the preparation, but the optimal training conditions are missing during the World Cup season: “The Austrians have a lot of chances and can do jumps between the World Cups in order to fine-tune certain things. We miss that.”

Although the native of Val Gardena - unlike in Pyeongchang (when he came 23rd on the large hill) - is only allowed to “experience” the Winter Games as a spectator, he will follow the jumping competitions on television. In purely sporting terms, Insam will continue at the weekend with a competition in Zakopane (Poland): “After that I’ll travel to the Continental Cup in the USA. I hope to be able to compete in the last World Cup competitions of the season after the Olympic Games.”

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Malsiner's anticipation of the Olympics and Insam's shattered dream

Jessica Malsiner from Val Gardena is taking part in the Olympics for the first time. Her compatriot Alex Insam, on the other hand, has to watch.

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