At the 74th Four Hills Tournament, the out-of-form Andreas Wellinger and Karl Geiger are not leading the German ski jumping squad; the DSV hopes for a good performance at the highlight around the turn of the year rest on two shooting stars. Icon Martin Schmitt also believes they will achieve a good placement.
Philipp Raimund will start the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf in fourth place in the overall World Cup. Only five places behind is Felix Hoffmann, another DSV eagle who has made a stable impression over the course of the season so far. However, the German hopefuls are not among the big favorites for the tour triumph.
“For me, the top favorites are Ryoyu Kobayashi and Domen Prevc,” emphasized former world-class ski jumper Martin Schmitt in an interview with “Eurosport.” But the 47-year-old also has a lot of confidence in Hoffmann: “Felix has incredible potential if you’ve seen Engelberg. What he shows is really strong. Anyone who has the potential to win a competition can also win the tour.”
Hoffmann has already climbed onto the podium three times this season. At the tour dress rehearsal last weekend in Switzerland, he made people sit up and take notice with second and third places, after struggling in Klingenthal and not making it into the top 10.
Ski jumping: Hoffmann can “play a good role” at the Four Hills Tournament
“There isn’t such a tricky jump on the tour that might slow him down a bit. That’s why I think he’s playing a good role,” said Schmitt, looking at the 28-year-old’s chances of doing a good job in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen.
Schmitt also sees the potential to be at the forefront of the tour in Raimund. “Philip likes it when the stadiums are full. He always jumps well on the tour and was actually always better than his overall World Cup placement,” says the German ski jumping legend optimistically.
You can expect a lot from the DSV duo, especially in the first competition. “Both can jump very well, especially in Oberstdorf, and will have a good start there. Philipp has been jumping at a high level for so long now. He’s in such stable form that nothing should burn,” Schmitt is sure.