Michael Wagner started for the SK Berchtesgaden . In the 1997/98 season , when he was 16 years old, he was used in nine of the 26 World Cup competitions and at that time was considered one of the greatest talents in ski jumping in Germany. Already in his first competition in Lillehammer in November 1997 he reached seventh place. This was followed by a placement in sixth position. After two not so successful competitions in Engelberg , he achieved his best result in Oberstdorf with fourth place. A fourth and final top ten placement followed in seventh place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen . In the overall World Cup he reached 33rd place with 176 points. At the end of the season, Wagner took part in the Junior World Championships in St. Moritz , where he won the gold medal in team jumping with Frank Löffler , Georg Späth and Stefan Pieper , and in the individual he was fourth. At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano , Wagner was only a substitute because he was out of shape. After this season, Wagner could no longer build on his old successes and was never used again on an international level until his resignation in 2002. First, a growth spurt made him lose touch, then he had a climbing accident that led to the amputation of the little finger of his right hand.
Germany
