Athlete of the Week: Bernhard Gruber (AUT)

In our last “Athlete of the Week”, we’d like to honour someone, who embodies fighting spirit. Now having become the oldest athlete to ever win a Nordic Combined World Cup at 36 years of age with his Schwarzwaldpokal win last Saturday, Bernhard Gruber is not in the habit of giving up… ever.

A start of the season like Gruber’s this year would have sent lesser men to despair: a ski jumping part that was not working at all, results starting with “did not start” in Ruka and “disqualified” in Lillehammer and following results from rank 20 to out of points were certainly not what Bernhard Gruber was aiming for in the all-important home World Championship season and maybe his last chance to fight for medals at a title event. And with Gruber’s emotional personality, those around him knew.

Still, with all frustration, anger and pressure, Gruber did not give up. “I really fought like a lion for this last place on the World Championship team”. And against all odds, against a teammate like Willi Denifl, who had podium positions to show for in the season, his coaches believed in Gruber and nominated him as sixth athlete in the eleventh hour - a decision not without controversy.

The 36-year-old repaid them manifold. Rank 10 in the first individual in Seefeld, a bronze medal with Franz-Josef Rehrl, ten years his junior, in the Team Sprint, a silver medal in the individual and another bronze medal with the team. The chances that fans and observers would have picked the 2015 World Champion to go and take three medals four years later were slim.

But Gruber was not done yet. With his season really taking off after this infusion of confidence, Gruber came to Schonach, saw and conquered. Even if it looked like younger teammate Lukas Greiderer had him under control on the final stretch, Gruber just came charging relentlessly, in his typical wild style, wild but apparently unstoppable. When Greiderer faltered, Gruber finished the race with his seventh World Cup victory and got to engrave his name on the famous Schwarzwaldpokal trophy. Finishing off the season with another third place in incredibly tough conditions on Sunday was another testament to Bernhard Gruber’s tenacity.

For his achievements and, most importantly, for being the embodiment of “never give up”, Bernhard Gruber is our last “Athlete of the Week” 2018/19!