PREDAZZO, Italy (AP) — Philipp Raimund stared down the icy hill Monday as the crowd roared below, took a deep breath and sped toward his destiny, knowing he needed not to explode off the jump if he was going to land the performance of his life.
“Usually the issue is that I have too much power in my legs and therefore the movement is a bit unstable,” he said. “So I knew just standing up and just let it fly.”
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Kacper Tomasiak, of Poland, right, celebrates with teammates Kamil Stoch and Pawel Wasek, left, after his final round jump during the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Gregor Deschwanden, of Switzerland, reacts after his first round jump of the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ren Nikaido, of Japan, soars through the air during his first round jump of the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Kacper Tomasiak, of Poland, right, celebrates with teammates Kamil Stoch and Pawel Wasek, left, after his final round jump during the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Philipp Raimund, of Germany, soars through the air during his final round jump in the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Philipp Raimund, of Germany, celebrates after winning the gold medal in the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
The German did just that and led two other Olympic rookies and a veteran of the Games who had never reached the podium past a field of former medalists and world champions to win gold in the men’s normal hill ski jump at the Milan Cortina Winter Games.
With a best jump of 106.5 meters and 274.1 points, Raimund beat Kacper Tomasiak of Poland, who won silver, and Ren Nikaido of Japan who tied with Gregor Deschwanden of Switzerland for the bronze in a thrilling event that came down to the last jump.
Raimund was ranked sixth in the world coming into his first Olympics. His best result was a fourth place in the world championships in the team event and only one win in the World Cup circuit for the mixed team event.
He was first after the opening round, with Valentin Foubert of France in second and Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal of Norway in third.
But Nikaido then landed a whopping 106.5 meters in his final jump, pumping his fist, confident he was going to win a medal.
He was then followed by Deschwanden and Tomasiak, who both reached 107 meters.
Foubert and Sundal could not beat those jumps, but the final result was going to depend on Raimund, who had flown 102 meters in his first jump.
Raimund made the most important jump of his life and earned high points for style that put him in first.
“I’ve never won a World Cup, so now I’m Olympic champion and I will be known probably for the rest of my life because I have a gold medal and that is un(expletive)believable,” he said.
Deschwanden was the only veteran of the four, competing in his fourth Olympics. His best result was eighth in large hill team event in 2022 in Beijing and sixth in the same event at the 2023 world championships.
“I tried a lot of times to finally get a medal," he said. “I have to say I didn’t expect it today after such a season, but in the end you get in the flow, it’s your day, and I had it today.”
The four beat out a field including defending champion Ryoyu Kobayashi of Japan, the reigning world champion Marius Lindvik of Norway, two-time Olympic gold medalist Andreas Wellinger and Kamil Stoch, Poland’s most successful ski jumper who owns three Olympic gold medals.
They also beat Domen Prevc, from a powerhouse Slovenian family of decorated ski jumpers, who entered the event as defending world champion on the large hill and the top-ranked skier in the World Cup this season.
Prevc is trying to join his sister, Nika, in becoming the first brother-sister pair to medal in ski jumping at the same Olympics.
Nika Prevc, a defending world champion on both hills and World Cup leader this season, took the silver medal Saturday in the women's normal hill competition.
The normal hill is not Domen Prevc's strength, though he landed his best jump on his final attempt at 105 meters and ended up in sixth place. He is likely to join his sister in the mixed team event Tuesday.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Gregor Deschwanden, of Switzerland, reacts after his first round jump of the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ren Nikaido, of Japan, soars through the air during his first round jump of the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Kacper Tomasiak, of Poland, right, celebrates with teammates Kamil Stoch and Pawel Wasek, left, after his final round jump during the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Philipp Raimund, of Germany, soars through the air during his final round jump in the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Philipp Raimund, of Germany, celebrates after winning the gold medal in the ski jumping men's normal hill individual at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Predazzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the 19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the majors just a week into the season.
Shock was not one of them.
“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major league debut against Baltimore at PNC Park.
He certainly looked ready, delivering an RBI double off Baltimore's Kyle Bradish in his first at-bat to help the Pirates to a 5-4 victory.
The Pirates are betting more big moments are on the way after making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it with Washington in 2018.
Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 amateur draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.
On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box — and checked every box quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when he smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening-day roster was set. Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and saw immediate results.
“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”
That doesn't make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when they're in elementary school. It's everything that has come after it, however, that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while showcasing the range to play one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.
Yet it's not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over. Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The Show.
The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for the Mississippi native's family to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.
Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the part of the role he's been preparing for since he was 5.
Griffin's skillset has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his high school graduation. Still, he's not getting ahead of himself.
“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” he said. "And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys.”
Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.
The future that's been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”
Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.
Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.
“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”
Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the “top prospect” label and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since the mid-2010s.
“Now it’s time to take all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said, "all the adjustments I’ve made. It’s time to go put them on the field and go win some games.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin celebrates after hitting an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin (6) is introduced for his major league debut before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin sprints for home to score a run during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin hits an RBI double, his first Major League career hit and run, during the second inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin, right, follows manager Don Kelly, center, and owner Bob Nutting into a meeting with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates' Konnor Griffin meets with reporters before making his Major League Baseball debut in the Pirates' home-opener against the Baltimore Orioles, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
