Althaus celebrates bronze but misses historic triumph

These are days like she was intoxicated for Katharina Althaus - even if they don't end with the greatest possible success: the 26-year-old from Oberstdorf had the chance to win gold in her fourth competition at the World Championships in Planica (Slovenia) after three titles at three starts . It wasn't quite enough.

On Wednesday evening she ended her World Championship fairy tale with bronze in the individual on the large hill. Althaus was only beaten by the surprise Canadian winner Alexandria Loutitt and Maren Lundby from Norway. Four titles at one World Championships - that would have been historic, no one before in the almost 100-year history of the Nordic World Ski Championships had managed that. Nevertheless: It was an outstanding World Cup for Katharina Althaus.

Another German had previously achieved great things that day: Combined Eric Frenzel won silver with the team and thus won the 18th World Championships medal of his career. He is now the sole record holder ahead of winter sports legend Björn Dählie. Although the Norwegian has more World Championship titles than Frenzel (nine, Frenzel seven), he has collected a total of 17 World Championship medals.

Althaus, who started ski jumping at the age of six in the Allgäu, is not only in the best shape of her life, but is now one of the greats of ski jumping. Even without title number four. With two Olympic silver medals in individual competitions, four World Championship titles in the team and one World Championship silver on the normal hill, she had achieved a lot, but the great triumph alone, without the team, was missing. She secured it in the first ski jumping competition in Planica.

Because Althaus had started her winning streak in these title fights with gold on the normal hill. The triumph with the women's team followed, finally that with the mixed team and now bronze on the large hill.

This puts her on par with the Austrians Gregor Schlierenzauer and Thomas Morgenstern (both in Oslo in 2011) and their teammate Markus Eisenbichler (2019), who also won three titles at a World Cup.

That Althaus could achieve great things this Wednesday was more than a vague chance. On the one hand, she was not only the top favorite because of the three previous titles, but also because her large hills are generally better than the smaller ones. Then on Tuesday she won the qualifier with a 129 meter jump and again demonstrated her class. Afterwards she said: “I know the hill here. It went really well from the first jump.”

In the first round on Wednesday, with changeable conditions, things actually went well - but not quite optimally. The 26-year-old was in third place. The Norwegian Lundby and Loutitt from Canada shared first place. The starting position was promising, but in the end two athletes were simply better that evening.