Ski jumper Andreas Wellinger experienced a bitter false start to the new season in Lillehammer. An expert finds clear words, and the Ruhpoldinger himself also sees a lot of room for improvement.
Wellinger “can’t really get away from the table,” explained long-time national coach Werner Schuster to “Eurosport” and spoke of a “rare black start to the season” for the German ski jumping hopeful.
In Lillehammer, Wellinger had “previously had mixed results,” said the expert. “It’s now about keeping calm, analyzing clearly and developing a concept.”
Schuster added: “With a top jumper there is hope that he can improve in competition. Andi has the motor skills and the talent to get back on track in a short time under the greatest tension. However, it won’t be easy, because if you don’t qualify, you’re far away.”
“I’m still not able to get the balance of the jumping system right,” said Wellinger himself after his 40th place in the second competition on the large hill in the Norwegian winter sports stronghold. “I jump out at the top and don’t have the support of the skis, I feel like I’m getting light up in the air.”
He even failed to qualify in the first individual competition. There were also weak training jumps.
Wellinger wants to accept the “challenge”.
According to Wellinger’s own statement, he lacks activity. “It’s just passive waiting. Then the system falls down,” said the 30-year-old.
But: Wellinger is already looking forward again.
“It’s really a challenge at the moment. I’ve had many challenges in my ski jumping career and now there’s another one that needs to be solved. I also know that it can be solved,” said the two-time Olympic champion.
Ski jumping: Andreas Wellinger’s performance “for the ass”
Sunday was at least “a step forward” and “a little better” than the rest of the weekend, emphasized Wellinger, “but the feeling is that it’s still far from where I want to be. At least from the bottom on Friday the arrow goes slightly up.”
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On Saturday Wellinger found even clearer words on “ARD”. “It’s German for the ass, what I’m doing at the moment. I’m hanging over the corner like a dead bird, there’s no lightness in it. I could do well in the downhill skiers at the moment, but not in ski jumping,” he complained about his performance.
From a German perspective, there was a big ray of hope in Lillehammer: Felix Hoffmann celebrated his first career podium.