Agnes Reisch Secures Emotional World Cup Podium After Two-Year Drought
Agnes Reisch claimed her second career World Cup podium with a third-place finish in Villach, Austria. The result marked her first individual top-three result in nearly two years. Her performance was particularly meaningful after a past injury at the same venue.
Selina Freitag narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth with jumps of 92 and 94.5 metres. Meanwhile, Katharina Schmid, once a winner in Villach, placed tenth as the third-best German competitor.
Reisch’s jumps of 90.5 and 90 metres secured her spot behind Slovenia’s Nika Prevc and Austria’s Lisa Eder. Her previous World Cup podium came in January 2023, making this result a long-awaited return to form. The achievement was even more notable given her past struggles in Villach, where she had suffered an injury.
Freitag, who has been in strong form recently, came close to her fourth consecutive podium. Despite two strong jumps, she finished just off the top three. Juliane Seyfarth, another German competitor, placed 23rd in the event. Schmid’s tenth-place finish added depth to the German team’s results. Her last individual World Cup victory in Villach came in January 2025, but she has since faced tougher competition. Freitag later expressed happiness for Reisch’s success, highlighting the significance of her comeback performance.
Reisch’s podium finish ends a two-year wait for another top-three result. Her performance in Villach, combined with Freitag’s near-miss and Schmid’s steady showing, reinforces Germany’s presence in women’s ski jumping. The team now looks ahead to upcoming competitions with renewed confidence.
