Ski jumper Daniel Tschofenig thanks teammates after being named Austria’s top sportsman of the year

Having dominated the 2024–25 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season, Daniel Tschofenig received the NIKI award as Austria’s top sportsman on October 8.

Tschofenig, who captured both the Four Hills Tournament and the overall World Cup title, was voted his country’s top male athlete by the Sports Media Austria association. Golfer Sepp Straka placed second, with Alpine Ski Giant Slalom world champion Raphael Haaser third.

The NIKI award, named in honor of F1 legend Niki Lauda, was presented at the Lotteries Sports Aid Gala in Vienna’s Town Hall.

“I am very happy about this award. It is a great honor, considering there are so many great athletes in our country,” said Tschofenig. “To be honest, I didn’t expect it as I was pretty sure it would go to my colleague (Haaser) from the Alpine team. It’s really cool to be able to take this home. For a season that was so full of success, it’s obviously fantastic.”

The 23-year-old won at Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) and Bischofshofen (AUT) to secure Austria’s first Four Hills Tournament triumph in a decade. He led an Austrian 1–2–3 overall with Jan Hörl second and Stefan Kraft third—the same order in the overall World Cup standings, where Tschofenig led from his Garmisch victory onward.

They also teamed up with Maximilian Ortner to earn men’s team silver at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim (NOR). Tschofenig emphasized that this accolade also belongs to his teammates: “For me, this is also a team award. We really pushed each other to new heights last year.”

It was a strong night for Ski Austria overall: the women’s NIKI went to Alpine Super-G world champion Stephanie Venier, whose home-soil victory in Saalbach preceded her retirement due to knee issues. The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach was also recognized as Austria’s most emotional sporting moment of the year.