Selina Freitag was the high flyer last winter. She carried the team together with Katharina Schmid. What can we expect from the DSV eagle bearers this winter? Especially since the competition is significantly weaker due to injuries.
Second place in the overall World Cup. Friday ended last season with this more than respectable result. Only the exceptional Slovenian jumper Nika Prevc was better than the 24-year-old. Friday was on the podium eleven times, narrowly missing out on victory eight times.
Friday and the wait for the first World Cup victory
Friday, who has only been jumping in the World Cup for two seasons, has never landed at the top. One thing is clear: if she wants to beat Prevc this winter, she has to win competitions consistently. So far, this consistency has distinguished her in the fight for second place.
At the start of the Summer Grand Prix in Courchevel it wasn’t enough to win again – again against Prevc. So there are some indications that this time too it could be a duel between the Erzgebirge native and the Slovenian. In the Grand Prix ranking, Freitag was the best German in ninth place.
For Katharina Schmid, “the fire” burns again
Katharina Schmid would like to have a say again this time. Last year she finished third in the overall ranking behind Freitag. And that despite the fact that the Obersdorfer flew away from everyone at the beginning of last season. But on the way to Japan for the World Cups in Sapporo and Zao, she lost her form. It wasn’t until the season finale in Lahti that fifth place was enough to make it back into the top five.
Accordingly, Schmid remained frustrated and thought about ending her career as soon as possible. But now the coming season may not be its last after all: “I thought a lot about it after the season, but with the first few jumps in training it all came back. The fire is burning and I’m really keen to jump on skis“, says Schmid in the BR24Sport interview, looking forward to the new season.
Especially in the last few weeks of preparation, “put some things together“, reports Schmid. But she’s not quite where she wants to be yet. That’s why she doesn’t believe in a dream start like last winter. “But I know that if I get my jumps across, I can be at the front. That gives you a good feeling for the start.”
Hollandt back after mental problems
Anna Hollandt’s passion for ski jumping is back again. The jumper from SC Degenfeldt made it public this summer that she was suffering from mental problems. Because of this, she sat out for three months and ended the season early at the end of January. But now she’s feeling better again.
Life as a non-athlete in particular has given her “given so much“, reports Hollandt on the sidelines of the DSV dressing in Nuremberg. “I did training for myself. I went cycling in the winter and discovered Pilates.”
Now she feels like it again – including her teammates. “It’s a lot of fun being out and about with the girls. We have a good feeling in the team.“For them this winter, the sporting results are not the main focus,” Hollandt makes clear.
Is Reisch’s star rising?
Unlike Agnes Reisch. The Allgäu woman finished last season in 14th place overall. In Lake Placid, the 26-year-old jumped onto her first World Cup podium with second place. At the Summer Grand Prix in Klingenthal she finished in the top ten thanks to eighth place. She could also get involved this winter.
Pinkelnig and Loutitt are out injured
In addition to the aforementioned Prevc, Freitag and Schmid, the favorites also included Eva Pinkelnig and Alexandria Loutitt, but both sustained serious knee injuries at the Summer Grand Prix in Val di Fiemme. Loutitt won World Cup gold in Planica in 2023, and Pinkelnig won the overall World Cup in the same year.