Early years

Widhölzl was interested in ski-jumping from an early age, his interest coming from watching the sport on television.^[1] At around this time he joined the Tyrolese Ski Federation and learnt to ski. When he was seven years old, a school friend convinced him to join the Fieberbrunner Weitenjäger. After a few years, Widhölzl earned his first success in the district and regional championships for his age group.^[2]

World Cup debut

Widhölzl began his World Cup ski-jumping career in 1993. Between 1997 and 2000, he won two Olympic bronzes and two world championship medals, along with sixteen victories in World Cup events.

Four Hills Tournament

During this time came his victory in the 1999/2000 Four Hills Tournament. During this season, he came second in the ski-jumping World Cup. In the next five years, he won only one World Cup event, however, in 2005 he twice won the world championship with the Austrian National Team and a year later he was part of the Austrian Team that won the Team Olympic Gold Medal at the Winter Olympics.

End of career

In March 2008, following health problems, he ended his fifteen-year-long World Cup ski-jumping career.

Standings

Season	Overall	4H	SF	NT	JP
1992/93	—	55	—	N/A	N/A
1994/95	26	18	—	N/A	N/A
1995/96	20	37	16	N/A	21
1996/97	15	14	13		16
1997/98		7			7
1998/99	7	14	21	40	6
1999/00			5	6
2000/01	12	16	28	52	N/A
2001/02	4	5	N/A	21	N/A
2002/03		12	N/A	41	N/A
2003/04	29	17	N/A	—	N/A
2004/05	8	16	N/A	19	N/A
2005/06	10	18	N/A	8	N/A
2006/07	33	22	N/A	34	N/A

Wins

No.	Season	Date	Location	Hill	Size
1	1996/97	9 March 1997	Lahti	Salpausselkä K114	LH
2	1997/98	20 December 1997	Engelberg	Gross-Titlis-Schanze K120	LH
3		5 February 1998	Sapporo	Ōkurayama K120	LH
4		1 March 1998	Vikersund	Vikersundbakken K175	FH
5		4 March 1998	Kuopio	Puijo K120 (night)	LH
6	1998/99	12 December 1998	Oberhof	Hans-Renner-Schanze K120	LH
7		6 January 1999	Bischofshofen	Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze K120	LH
8	1999/00	4 December 1999	Predazzo	Trampolino dal Ben K120 (night)	LH
9		5 December 1999	Predazzo	Trampolino dal Ben K120 (night)	LH
10		1 January 2000	Garmisch-Partenkirchen	Große Olympiaschanze K115	LH
11		3 January 2000	Innsbruck	Bergiselschanze K110	LH
12		6 January 2000	Bischofshofen	Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze K120	LH
13		5 February 2000	Willingen	Mühlenkopfschanze K120	LH
14		6 February 2000	Willingen	Mühlenkopfschanze K120	LH
15	2001/02	24 January 2002	Hakuba	Hakuba K120	LH
16		26 January 2002	Sapporo	Ōkurayama K120	LH
17	2002/03	30 November 2002	Kuusamo	Rukatunturi K120 (night)	LH
18	2004/05	15 January 2005	Tauplitz/Bad Mitterndorf	Kulm HS200	FH