For the ski jumping stars, the days around the turn of the year are once again dominated by the Four Hills Tournament. Before the start, sport.de expert and TV commentator Luis Holuch looks at the favorites for us and presents his personal power ranking.
The World Cup season so far has been all about Stefan Kraft, but does that mean the Austrian is automatically the top favorite to win the tour? And what’s in it for the Germans, who also started the winter strong? Who else has what it takes to make the big leap?
sport.de expert and TV commentator Luis Holuch does the big check for us and presents his favorites in the power ranking:
7th place: Anže Lanišek (SLO)
Žaba the frog is called Anže Lanišek in his homeland. Whether this nickname is charming is of course a matter of opinion, but there are certain parallels between Lanišek the human being and the frog animal: the Slovenian also jumps consistently in all wind and weather and lands gently. The best proof of this: third place in the last edition of the tour. A repetition of this cannot be ruled out.
6th place: Karl Geiger (GER)
Karl Geiger proved with the surprising double victory in Klingenthal that he can also deliver on jumps that are not his cup of tea. He manages to start his tour in Oberstdorf anyway – it’s best to jump at home. A lot is possible from there, as third, second and fourth places in 2020, 2021 and 2022 have proven. There he was always the German that people looked at. This is different this year due to the strength of the team and certainly not a disadvantage.
5th place: Marius Lindvik (NOR)
With his second place in Engelberg, Marius Lindvik went from secret to co-favorite. He likes and can do all tour jumps, has already been on the podium in all four places and has only yet won in Oberstdorf. So far, health problems have hindered his path to a top tour result. If the hobby DJ packs his parade jumps into one edition, the Norwegian anthem could end up being played again in Bischofshofen – just not for Halvor Egner Granerud, but for himself.
4th place: Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN)
Ryoyu Kobayashi is, alongside Stefan Kraft, the only athlete in this ranking who has already won the tour – not just once, but twice. Nobody knows as well as the Japanese what is important in the stressful ten days between the years. However, he doesn’t have to fear any hype surrounding himself – that’s his second big advantage. His current level is very high, but still low enough that other names are more hotly debated than his. The role of the supposedly inconspicuous one suits him perfectly; tour triumph number three is quite realistic.
3rd place: Pius Paschke (GER)
The Munich native would certainly not have thought it possible that Pius Paschke would be one of the favorites to compete in the Four Hills Tournament during his career. Especially not after the transfer from national coach Stefan Horngacher’s training group 1a to Ronny Hornschuh’s training group 1b in the spring. But it didn’t hurt him: he’s jumping better than ever. He always had fun ski jumping, even in the difficult phases, and thanks to outside help, he now has the mental tools to finish at the top. Why not on tour too?
2nd place: Andreas Wellinger (GER)
Andreas Wellinger’s season runs with a slightly ironic undertone. According to his teammates, he was “at least one step ahead” in preparation, very close to Stefan Kraft at the start of winter, but still without a win – in contrast to two teammates. Nevertheless, the Ruhpoldinger is in second place in the World Cup standings and knows, regardless of the numbers, that he is in a good mood. He really wants to win, so he often overdoes it right after the edge of the take-off table. But with a little more looseness, which characterizes him so much away from the hill, he can achieve great things.
1st place: Stefan Kraft (AUT)
Stefan Kraft is undoubtedly the best ski jumper of the current winter. Five wins in eight competitions speak for themselves. Even with (relatively) weak jumps, he is currently in the top 6 and that could be enough for a tour victory. He is the last Austrian to win the traditional event. Kraft is well aware of the pressure of having to do things for red-white-red. It’s hard to be a clearer tour favorite than him.
Luis Holuch