Hirner fights back illness to bag milestone bronze: 'It's my most important medal'

Gyda Westvold Hansen (NOR) won a third consecutive Women's Gundersen world title at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, on Sunday, beating defending overall World Cup winner Ida Marie Hagen (NOR) by 6.6 seconds.

But behind the host nation's two superstars, Lisa Hirner (AUT) claimed her first individual World Championships medal, in a competition she had been unsure to take part in two weeks ago.

"It's an incredible feeling. I had a very, very good race and very fast skis, so thanks to the whole team, they made a perfect job," said the 21-year-old from Leoben in central Austria.

"It was a tough fight with Gyda and Ida and in the end they were faster than me, but I'm happy with my bronze medal."

First individual World Championships medal

At the last World Championships, in Planica (SLO) 2023, Hirner won a bronze medal in the Mixed Team Normal Hill. On Friday, she retained that third place as she, Claudia Purker, Stefan Rettenegger and Johannes Lamparter in Austria beat Japan by 0.2 of a second in a dramatic finish.

Wrapping up the women's competition at Trondheim 2023 with a first individual World Championships podium, however, was something else, Hirner said.

Family in the stands

Hirner had pulled off the second best jump of the day – and the longest, on par with Hagen, at 98 meter. That earned her 110.2 points and a chance to start 50 seconds behind Norway's rising star Ingrid Laate, 17, who had scored 122.8 points with a 97m jump. With a well-paced race, Hirner finished the 5km Cross-Country race with a 25.9-second margin to Laate in fourth place, and was less than a second from the silver medal.

"My tactics were to not start too fast and I think I made a good job. In the end it's a bronze so I'm happy," she said.

Crossing the line 7.5 seconds behind Westvold Hansen, the overall World Cup No.19 said she had been dreaming about this moment for "very long". 

"With all the spectators, it was just amazing," Hirner said.

"My grandparents and my mother were here cheering for me, so that's very cool.

The career milestone came at a difficult season for Hirner, who has been diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that gradually destroys the thyroid gland, with weight gain, fatigue and general pains as some of its most common symptoms.

"I was very often sick and feeling very down and empty before competitions," said Hirner, who had finished in seventh place in the Mass Start.

"So it wasn't even sure that I'd compete here and now I'm driving home with two medals so I'm just happy."

Four World Cup starts

After making her World Cup debut on home snow in Ramsau (AUT) in December 2020, Hirner made three strong seasons on the circuit where she finished seventh, fifth and sixth in the overall standings.

This winter, however, has been a rollercoaster. She made the Gundersen podium at the first World Cup stage in Lillehammer (NOR) but was a DNS in Ramsau in the last competition of 2024. Back in Schonach (GER) in January, she kicked off 2025 with a sixth-place in the Gundersen but after that, she did not start in the Mass Start in Seefeld (AUT) and had to withdraw from the Seefeld Triple that weekend, forced to also skip the last stage before the World Championships, in Otepää (EST).

Two weeks later, she stood on the podium at the World Championships.

"It's amazing, it's like a dream coming true so I'm very happy," Hirner said.

When she has not been competing, Hirner has spent a lot of time out walking or running in the Austrian nature.

"I really like to be in the mountains, alone, in the nature, and even being at sea. Those are the two most important things for me," she said.

Hirner thinks that being able to relax is key to success in big competitions. 

"To be yourself and not be too nervous is very important for days like this," she said.

Motivated by medal

Another key to success for the 21-year-old, who said she loves to bake for the rest of her team, is to learn how to live with the newly discovered health condition.

"I'm feeling much better now than two weeks ago, so I think it is the right way," she said.

"I think we've found a way to deal with it but we will see how it will go in the future."

To climb higher on the podium in competitions ahead, she will also have to get past the obstacles that are Westvold Hansen and Hagen.

"Those two are very, very strong in the running and also in the ski jumping," Hirner said.

"I think that I'm on the right way. I've got work to do, but this medal pushes me and motivates me."