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Peter Prevc: "It will be a tough fight"
In our interview series "FIS Ski Jumping-Talk" we present talks with ski jumping athletes and officials. Today: Peter Prevc (22), four-time World Cup winner and Silver and Bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in Sochi.
FIS Ski Jumping: Peter, how satisfied are you with this season so far?
Peter Prevc: I'm very satisfied. This is my first World Cup season in which I was able to achieve top results right from the start. So far I usually started with Top 20 results, this year I started the season in the Top 10 and I was able to achieve these results during the course of the season so far. So I already reached my first goal for this winter.
FIS Ski Jumping: And how about the team? You are very strong right now, sometimes with four or five athletes in the Top 20. Even an athlete like Robert Kranjec has to fight to be on the team.
Prevc: The whole team is jumping on a very high level. At the beginning of the season we were not that strong. Jurij Tepes, for example, took a break before the 4-Hills-Tournament to train. After that he came back a lot stronger. I think the same will happen with Robert Kranjec right now. Jernej Damjan is very strong and consistently achieving Top 10 results. I'm also very happy that the younger athletes, Nejc Dezman and Matjaz Pungertar, are doing so well. There's always a lot of positive energy in such a strong team.
FIS Ski Jumping: You showed an impressive performance in the team competition in Willingen last weekend. Did you expect such a clear win?
Prevc: I never have any expectations before such a competition. There are eight jumps and you can't do more than to jump well and give self confidence to the other jumpers. We did a very good job in Willingen, especially Jurij was extremely strong. I think it was one of his best competitions so far.
FIS Ski Jumping: Jernej Damjan said after the competition that you were in a similar situation 2013 and 2014, when you also won the final team competition before the World Championships and the Olympics. Then you couldn't win a medal in both major events. What do you have to change this time in order to prevent this from happening again?
Prevc: I don't know. It's no secret that a medal in the team competition is our goal. The best you can do is to remain calm and not expect too much. Sometimes you already had too many competitions, sometimes too less. It just has to go perfectly. At the end it always depends on the shape of the whole team on the day of the competition. And you also always need a bit of luck. There are many teams on a very high level and they can all win.
FIS Ski Jumping: So far it was a balanced season with my different winners and a lot of athletes on a very high level. Do you like this situation or would you prefer it if you had to focus only on three or four opponents?
Prevc: I think that the current situation is very good for our sport. If there are only a few winners, it can get boring for the fans. I think that the situation with many potential winners makes every single athlete better during the course of the season.
FIS Ski Jumping: There will a mixed team competition at the World Championships and the Slovenian team will also have strong ladies with Spela Rogelj and Maja Vtic. How important is this competition for you?
Prevc: I don't know if I'll be on the team for this competition. So far I've never been jumping really well in mixed competitions. If we can show eight good jumps, then we are among the best. I can't predict anything, but we will do our best.
FIS Ski Jumping: At the beginning of the season you said that you think you'll be capable of winning a big title one day. This season a lot is possible at the World Championships and in the overall World Cup. Are you ready?
Prevc: I don't know. We will see, maybe after the World Championships, maybe after the season. It will be a tough fight. There are 50 competitors, you need to jump very strong. I'll do my best.
FIS Ski Jumping: How much pressure do you feel from the fans and the public in your home country?
Prevc: There's always pressure, no matter if you worry about it or not. I think I can handle the pressure the best, if I turn it into motivation and hard work.
FIS Ski Jumping: What headline would you like to read at the end of the season?
Prevc: „It's over“ (laughs).
FIS Ski Jumping: So you are already looking forward to the time after the season, when you have more time again for other things besides ski jumping?
Prevc: If I'm in such a good shape I'm not looking forward to it. But when we are in the final week of the season, then yes.
FIS Ski Jumping: Thanks a lot for the interview and all the best!
FIS Ski Jumping: Peter, how satisfied are you with this season so far?
Peter Prevc: I'm very satisfied. This is my first World Cup season in which I was able to achieve top results right from the start. So far I usually started with Top 20 results, this year I started the season in the Top 10 and I was able to achieve these results during the course of the season so far. So I already reached my first goal for this winter.
FIS Ski Jumping: And how about the team? You are very strong right now, sometimes with four or five athletes in the Top 20. Even an athlete like Robert Kranjec has to fight to be on the team.
Prevc: The whole team is jumping on a very high level. At the beginning of the season we were not that strong. Jurij Tepes, for example, took a break before the 4-Hills-Tournament to train. After that he came back a lot stronger. I think the same will happen with Robert Kranjec right now. Jernej Damjan is very strong and consistently achieving Top 10 results. I'm also very happy that the younger athletes, Nejc Dezman and Matjaz Pungertar, are doing so well. There's always a lot of positive energy in such a strong team.
FIS Ski Jumping: You showed an impressive performance in the team competition in Willingen last weekend. Did you expect such a clear win?
Prevc: I never have any expectations before such a competition. There are eight jumps and you can't do more than to jump well and give self confidence to the other jumpers. We did a very good job in Willingen, especially Jurij was extremely strong. I think it was one of his best competitions so far.
FIS Ski Jumping: Jernej Damjan said after the competition that you were in a similar situation 2013 and 2014, when you also won the final team competition before the World Championships and the Olympics. Then you couldn't win a medal in both major events. What do you have to change this time in order to prevent this from happening again?
Prevc: I don't know. It's no secret that a medal in the team competition is our goal. The best you can do is to remain calm and not expect too much. Sometimes you already had too many competitions, sometimes too less. It just has to go perfectly. At the end it always depends on the shape of the whole team on the day of the competition. And you also always need a bit of luck. There are many teams on a very high level and they can all win.
FIS Ski Jumping: So far it was a balanced season with my different winners and a lot of athletes on a very high level. Do you like this situation or would you prefer it if you had to focus only on three or four opponents?
Prevc: I think that the current situation is very good for our sport. If there are only a few winners, it can get boring for the fans. I think that the situation with many potential winners makes every single athlete better during the course of the season.
FIS Ski Jumping: There will a mixed team competition at the World Championships and the Slovenian team will also have strong ladies with Spela Rogelj and Maja Vtic. How important is this competition for you?
Prevc: I don't know if I'll be on the team for this competition. So far I've never been jumping really well in mixed competitions. If we can show eight good jumps, then we are among the best. I can't predict anything, but we will do our best.
FIS Ski Jumping: At the beginning of the season you said that you think you'll be capable of winning a big title one day. This season a lot is possible at the World Championships and in the overall World Cup. Are you ready?
Prevc: I don't know. We will see, maybe after the World Championships, maybe after the season. It will be a tough fight. There are 50 competitors, you need to jump very strong. I'll do my best.
FIS Ski Jumping: How much pressure do you feel from the fans and the public in your home country?
Prevc: There's always pressure, no matter if you worry about it or not. I think I can handle the pressure the best, if I turn it into motivation and hard work.
FIS Ski Jumping: What headline would you like to read at the end of the season?
Prevc: „It's over“ (laughs).
FIS Ski Jumping: So you are already looking forward to the time after the season, when you have more time again for other things besides ski jumping?
Prevc: If I'm in such a good shape I'm not looking forward to it. But when we are in the final week of the season, then yes.
FIS Ski Jumping: Thanks a lot for the interview and all the best!
Source: fis-ski.com
