The VAN DEER–Red Bull Sports team is getting a major boost: overall World Cup winner Daniel Tschofenig and Planica double world champion Timi Zajc are strengthening Marcel Hirscher’s Nordic team.
One was the man of the year in ski jumping last season. Daniel Tschofenig (23) lived up to his nickname “Tschofenig Airlines,” winning the Four Hills Tournament and, on top of that, the overall World Cup. The other, at just 25, already has Olympic gold (2022 in Beijing, mixed team) to his name and added two world titles in Planica the following year: Timi Zajc. What unites them? The skis: from now on, “Tschofi” and “Zeko” will be flying on Marcel Hirscher’s VAN DEER–Red Bull Sports equipment.
"Not only because Tschofi and Zeko are outstanding athletes, but also because their mindset fits us perfectly,” says Hirscher, who is currently pushing hard on preparations for his comeback. What connects him with the two new recruits? They’re all hardcore innovators who refuse to compromise when it comes to equipment.
In recent days, Daniel Tschofenig and Timi Zajc have put the new jump skis through intense testing—with unanimous approval.
"That’s exactly the potential I feel with VAN DEER–Red Bull Sports: everyone here has this passion for development, and I’m really glad to be part of the team.” This summer, “Tschofi” and Marcel Hirscher took part in “tube lifting” together at the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Now, as brand buddies, they’re lifting the Olympic winter together.
Timi Zajc is just as excited to get started with VAN DEER–Red Bull Sports: “With another major event coming up this winter, I knew I needed a new impulse, an upgrade, a new horizon."
The ski jumpers’ season kicks off on November 21 in Lillehammer with a mixed team event. From there, the tension builds all the way to the highlight of the winter: the Olympic ski jumping competitions in Predazzo.