An Olympic Gold Medallist Ski Jumper, Who Is Afraid Of Heights? Meet Germany's Philipp Raimund

Last Updated:February 10, 2026, 10:25 IST

Phillip Raimund, a ski jumper afraid of heights, soared 106.5 metres to Olympic gold, in a dramatic final at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games.

Talk about conquering your fears.

Phillip Raimund did it the hardest way possible: by flying straight through them and into Olympic history.

The 25-year-old German ski jumper, who had never won an individual World Cup event, had never competed at the Olympics, and once pulled out of a competition because he’s afraid of heights, is now an Olympic gold medalist.

Yes. A ski jumper. Afraid of heights.

Raimund arrived at Monday’s normal hill event ranked sixth in the World Cup standings and was barely mentioned among the favourites. What followed was a wildly dramatic final in which the lead changed hands with nearly every jump.

When it mattered most, Raimund delivered.

His final score of 274.1 points was enough to edge Poland’s Kacper Tomasiak (270.7) and seal an astonishing gold. Raimund crouched, roared, and soaked it all in after landing his final jump.

“It feels absolutely amazing," he said. “It is the biggest achievement of my life, the best day of my life so far."

Tomasiak, ranked 14th, claimed silver, while Japan’s Ren Nikaidō (ranked third) and Switzerland’s Gregor Deschwanden (ranked 24th) shared bronze — another reminder that this was a day for the unfancied.

The backstory makes it even better.

In March 2025, Raimund withdrew from a World Cup event in Slovenia and explained why in an Instagram post: “As some of you may know, I am scared of heights."

On Monday, though, fear didn’t stand a chance.

“Usually the issue is that I have too much power in my legs and therefore the movement is a bit unstable," he told AP. “So I knew just standing up and just let it fly."

Let it fly he did — 106.5 metres, gold medal, Olympic immortality.

The ski jumper who fears heights has reached the very top of his sport. If that isn’t inspiring irony at its finest, then what is?

(with multiple agencies’ inputs)

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