The dream is still alive, but the dominator seems hard to beat: The German ski jumpers narrowly missed out on the podium in the impressive victory of the Slovenian high-flyer Domen Prevc at the start of the Four Hills Tournament.
Felix Hoffmann took fourth place as the best athlete from national coach Stefan Horngacher’s team. Philipp Raimund ended up in sixth place.
The two were the only two Germans in the second round with an overall weak team performance.
Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger experienced a debacle in front of 25,500 spectators in the sold-out Oberstdorf Arena.
The 30-year-old, who won at the start of the tour two years ago, came 49th and second to last.
Four Hills Tournament: Prevc already with a big lead
Hoffmann jumped 132.5 and 136 meters, Raimund 136 and 133 meters. Hoffmann’s gap to Prevc, who is also the clear leader in the overall World Cup and flew 141.5 and 140 meters, is almost eleven meters. The 26-year-old was clearly the best jumper and won comfortably ahead of the two runners-up, Timi Zajc (Slovenia) and Daniel Tschofenig (Austria), who had the same number of points.
“Except for the cathedral, everything is close together,” said Hoffmann on ARD. “I’m also happy with my two jumps.”
German hopes now rest on a Prevc mistake and on Hoffmann and Raimund. Both are jumping the season of their lives so far. Hoffmann has appeared in the World Cup from time to time in recent years. But the 28-year-old from Thuringia didn’t really attract any lasting attention. That changed right at the start of this season.
With third place at the World Cup opener in Lillehammer, Norway, Hoffmann celebrated his first podium finish of his not-so-short career. The calm athlete, who is pretty much the opposite of teammate Raimund in terms of temperament, followed up with further strong competitions.
Raimund is the most consistent German so far
Raimund has improved from being a talented athlete who shows off his skills every now and then to becoming a model jumper in national coach Stefan Horngacher’s team. Like Hoffmann, Raimund is still waiting for his first individual victory in the World Cup. But he has established himself among the world’s best. In the six competitions immediately before the tour, he only finished worse than fourth place once. He is the best German in the overall World Cup.
The 25-year-old has not only developed athletically but also personally. Raimund has “put aside his youthful recklessness a bit,” said ex-colleague Markus Eisenbichler recently in a Eurosport media round.
This winter, the Oberstdorf native appears more focused and balanced than ever before. Before the tour, he emphasized several times that he saw the competitions there as individual events. He deliberately avoided social media around Christmas. The motto was just no pressure. He notices the huge hustle and bustle of the tour, but doesn’t let it influence him.
Party atmosphere in the Allgäu
In wonderful winter weather with sunshine all day long, fans gathered early in the streets and alleys of the town, which is actually home to just under 10,000 people. With party music, beer, bratwurst and mulled wine, they got in the mood for the spectacle at the Schattenbergschanze. From the front yard, children sold homemade signs cheering on their idols.
For one of them, local hero Karl Geiger, the competition was over before it had even begun. The five-time world champion was eliminated in qualifying. “That was a clean grab,” he said after finishing 53rd.
As a spectator and supporter, he saw Wellinger not getting along at all. Pius Paschke, who came to the tour last winter as the leader in the overall World Cup, also didn’t come close to fulfilling his potential. He ended up in 33rd place.
The jumpers now have a day of rest before qualifying for the New Year’s competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen continues on New Year’s Eve at 4 p.m. (ZDF and Eurosport).