“The entire World Championships were one big goosebump moment!”

Franz-Josef Rehrl had his big international breakthrough with first podium positions, two World Cup victories and three bronze medals in Seefeld this year. In this week’s edition of TUESDAY TALK, the 26-year-old looks back on his triumphs, gives the inside scoop on his time at the police academy this spring and what keeps him busy currently.

FJ, looking back at your winter, you are probably more than happy.  Can you actually believe what you have achieved by now?

Franz-Josef Rehrl: Yes, I am really really happy with the last winter. It is such a pleasure to look back on it and what I have achieved.

Especially the moments at your home World Championships in Seefeld must have been amazing. Did you think that a result like that was possible for you beforehand and do you have a favourite moment from that period?

Rehrl: Well, the World Championships have their own kind of rules and I knew that many things would have to come together to get a medal. Looking back at it, the entire World Championships were one big goosebump moment, it’s really impossible to pick one single moment as my favourite.

At the end of the season, you also won the Best Jumper Trophy. We know that overall World Cup winner Jarl Magnus Riiber als was really after this one. Did you ever talk about this ranking during the season?

Rehrl: No, we didn’t address it directly but of course I am happy to official be recognised as the best jumper in Nordic Combined in 2018/19.

After your winter, there was not much time to rest and recover as you had a period of education at the police academy. How was the experience and what else were you up to in spring?

Rehrl: The police academy was a new experience for me and it was really interesting. I’m not really used to sitting in school anymore so that was not that easy but the things I learned were interesting. Of course I also had some more media and sponsor appointments, so that I was not able to go on holidays this year. But at least the training didn’t suffer.

How do you approach the next winter after a dream season like this. Did you goals change?

Rehrl: Of course expectations in me are higher now but in order to achieve that I will have to develop. I know where my “construction areas” are and I am going to work on them. We will see where that will lead in the next winter.

How does your schedule look like in the next couple of weeks?

Rehrl: Well, we are in the middle of our first training camp of the season in Kaltern right now, so the training is in full swing again.