A German Olympian conquered his fear of heights to win a gold medal in the Ski Jump at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are in full flow in Italy, with plenty of medals being handed out already. It has also created a number of viral moments too, with many viewers being blown away by the drones following athletes in events like the downhill skiing, luge, and snowboarding.
It has also been used in the ski jumping, allowing viewers to get an even better look at what skiers deal with as they’re approaching the ramp to jump and when they’re soaring through the air too.
Germany’s Philipp Raimund took home gold in Monday’s normal hill on February 10, jumping an impressive 106 metres and scoring 274.1 points for both jumps. What’s more impressive, though, is that the 25-year-old conquered his fear of heights to grab the gold on the 110-meter-high hill.
German Olympian conquers fear of heights to win gold
That’s right, Raimund admitted he has a fear of heights and can usually “control” it. However, he had to pull out of an event in March 2025.
Upon doing so, the German took to Instagram to explain his absence from the event, noting it isn’t usually a “problem” for him. That post went a little viral, too.
“As some of you may know, I am scared of heights. I usually have it under control, and it usually isn’t a Problem while skijumping, but from time to time, I have the issue (mainly while skiflying) that my body is reacting without me controlling it,” he said. “I lose control and for ~ 1 ½ seconds I’m only watching myself, while being inside of the claw thats Holding me. But I won’t fly if I don’t feel ready and happy to do so.”
Plenty of fans have taken to Raimund’s social media to praise him for beating the “ups and downs” over the last few years, too.
“Nice to see how you worked yourself up year after year with all the ups and downs and now you got it champ!” one commented. “I yelled the house down and had tears in my eyes. A truly glorious moment in sports,” another added.
