In our series "FIS Ski Jumping-Talk" we present interviews with ski jumping athletes and officials. Today: Robert Kranjec (34).

Robert Kranjec, 2013 Ski Flying World Champion, was already an important member of the Slovenian team when they won the bronze medal in the team competition at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Besides one World Cup win in ski jumping, 2005 in Kuusamo, the ski flying expert also took four wins on the world's largest hills. After a mediocre last season, Kranjec could gain some attention again with three podium finishes in this summer's FIS Grand Prix, before he fractured his elbow in a training crash in Innsbruck in October.

FIS Ski Jumping: Hello Robert. First, the most important question: How are you?

Robert Kranjec: I'm okay, but I still feel a lot of pain. Today I was jumping again for the first time after the crash. I made five jumps, but I can't really assess the performance, because I was just trying to get the feeling back in the air.

FIS Ski Jumping: Did you jump on a large hill again right away?

Kranjec: No, I jumped in Kranj, it's a 110 m hill.

FIS Ski Jumping: How optimistic are you that you will be able to participate in the World Cup opening in Klingenthal?

Kranjec: I hope that I can compete there. Right now I have to focus on getting my feeling back. It's already okay in the inrun, but in the air it feels strange because I can't straighten my left arm.

FIS Ski Jumping: You had a very strong summer with various podium results in the FIS Grand Prix. How happy are you with the results in the past months?

Kranjec: I was jumping well alsp recently when we were in Innsbruck, Garmisch and Stams. The jumps were not perfect, they were okay and on a high level, but in the last jump I crashed.

FIS Ski Jumping: How difficult is it to return to the hill so soon again?

Kranjec: I was not jumping for 15 days because of the surgery, I only did physical training. Now I hope that I get my feeling back in the air, because it feels really strange after the take-off. I will jump in Kranj again on the next two days and next week we will probably be in Ramsau. I just need to make more jumps.

FIS Ski Jumping: The last World Cup season was not your best one. Do you think you will be able to be among the best again next winter? Or is it hard to make any predictions at the moment?

Kranjec: It's very difficult to say. I was scared in my first three jumps today, because in Innsbruck I fell right after the take-off. It was a really bad fall, I lost the left ski. And after such a crash it's not so easy to start jumping again.

FIS Ski Jumping: So right now you don't really care about results?

Kranjec: Exactly. I just want to be ready for Klingenthal. After the training and the qualification there, I will see where I stand. Maybe Top 30, Top 15, Top 10. But right now I don't know.

FIS Ski Jumping: Let's look a little further. Your highlight next season will probably be the Ski Flying World Championships. How important is this competition for you?

Kranjec: I hope that I can compete there. But before that, there is the 4-Hills-Tournament. This is also very important. You have to do well there, because the World Championships are already soon after that. Without good results in the competitions before, it's really difficult to jump well at the World Championships.

FIS Ski Jumping: You also have a strong competition within your team. How difficult is it to earn a place on the World Cup team?

Kranjec: We have a lot of young guys on our team and that's good. They push you and you have to work hard every day in order to keep up with them. It's great that there are a lot of good guys. I like this situation.

FIS Ski Jumping: What memories do you have of the dramatic final of last season in Planica?

Kranjec: Jurij was fourth after the first round, Peter was the last to jump in the final. He could not know how far Peter would jump. Jurij made a really good jump. Nobody can win every day, everything was fair.

FIS Ski Jumping: How much do you wish Peter that he will finally get the big crystal bowl in the next years?

Kranjec: We will see. Right now his youngest brother is also really good. For winning the overall title you also need some luck, because there are a lot of competitions and you always have to be in the Top 5 or Top 10.

FIS Ski Jumping: What do you expect from your team next winter?

Kranjec: I hope that we can make one step forward compared to last year. That would be okay. If all four guys jump on a high level, Slovenia will also be really strong in the World Championships.

FIS Ski Jumping: We cross our fingers and hope that we will see you in Klingenthal.

Source: fis-ski.com