Climb
Innsbruck is the World Cup venue from June 12th to 16th, for the former world champions Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert the home competitions are both a “personal highlight” and an important “endurance test” for the upcoming major events. In any case, the build-up in form makes the duo optimistic for the rest of the season.
The year hasn’t quite gone according to plan for Schubert, but his form is good at the moment and he’s looking forward to the World Cup. “I’m well prepared,” emphasized the Tyrolean at a press conference, adding that he also sees the World Cup as preparation for the upcoming World Championships in Bern. “It’s really about the sausage there,” explained the four-time world champion.
Pilz agreed: “At the World Cup in Innsbruck, I can easily see where the other athletes are,” said the 2018 and 2021 world champion. She was curious to see how she was doing in the lead. “In any case, I’m confident that I’ll start in top form in Innsbruck and then into the lead season.” Jasmin Plank, who will start in para-climbing, was just as optimistic and confident. “I’m hoping that I’ll climb a gold medal in Innsbruck,” she said confidently.
“We are very well positioned”
Coach Fabian Leu did not slow down the quite high expectations and optimistic self-assessments. “We’re in a very good position,” he said. You have a “good team” and many athletes clearly have the “potential for the final”.
Sports director Heiko Wilhelm also gave roses to the athletes. “It will fit perfectly,” he said, both in terms of the expected sporting achievements and the event itself. “We are dealing with a festival of the climbing community that is firmly anchored in the global climbing calendar,” he described the event in Innsbruck. This was also emphasized by Julia Pinggera, who is in charge of the organization: “Our demands are increasing year by year, and this year there should be a lot of music as well as a lot of sport.”