Katharina Schmid has never been as stable as she was this winter. What are the reasons for the ski jumping World Cup leader’s strong start? The new national coach and a new mindset are likely to play a big role.
This dominance in ski jumping hasn’t existed for a long time: it’s been almost exactly seven years since the Ski Jumping World Cup was led by a German jumper and a German jumper at the same time. Shortly before Christmas 2017, Richard Freitag and Katharina Althaus wore the yellow jersey. Althaus is now called Schmid, but this year too she embodies the German ski jumping upswing. Shortly before Christmas 2024, Schmid, like Pius Paschke, is shining with the men in yellow.
Schmid: “It was really fun”
The new women’s ski jumping season is still young at five jumps. The 28-year-old Schmid was on the podium in all competitions. The woman from Oberstdorf has already won four times, most recently both competitions on the Olympic ski jump in Zhangjiakou in China. “It was really fun, I’m really happy”said the German happily. “Ten days in China were very successful, but they also cost energy.”
Energy that Schmid can transfer to the jumps this season better than he has in a long time. Schmid is currently experiencing the most stable period of her career; the Bavarian herself did not have such a successful run with four wins in five competitions in a row in 2017/2018. In the overall World Cup she is already leading with 380 points, well ahead of last year’s winner Nika Prevc from Slovenia (229).
Kutin: “A bombshell performance”
“Katharina Schmid really did a bombshell performance, she is in form”the new national coach Heinz Kuttin praised the performance of his model athlete at the final of the World Cup in Zhanjiakou on Sunday (December 15, 2024) when many jumpers had problems due to increasingly difficult conditions. Not so Schmid. “The jumps have become more difficult, these changing wind conditions. This doesn’t go away without a hitch. But she can still win competitions. That’s extremely pleasing for our team.”
20 months without a win
The explosion in performance of the two-time Olympic silver medalist is also extremely pleasing. At the season opener in Lillehammer, Schmid ended a long dry spell. The seven-time world champion had not won a victory for a long 20 months.
Schmid about Kuttin: “The calm is gone”
The reasons for the Oberallgäu woman’s soaring? On the one hand, Schmid seems to benefit from the change of coach in the women’s team. Since this year, the Austrian Heinz Kuttin has been the German women’s national coach: “You can tell with Heinz that he brings a lot of experience to the team. He has a sense of calm and radiates it. Things are going really well.”said Schmid at the finale of the Summer Grand Prix in Klingenthal in October.
Schmid: “Where should the journey go?”
In addition, the ten-time World Cup winner has changed something herself: “I really gave it my all in the summer and it’s paying off now.”said Schmid on MDR. In contrast to the previous year, she really put herself into training. In addition to physical training, it is about “Mindset” gone: “I asked myself where I wanted to go. And then I tried to find my jump and my rhythm.”
Hannawald: “Jump works across the board”
And the 16-time World Cup medalist has apparently found it. Sports show expert Sven Hannawald also praises this. After three days in Lillehammer with conditions changing three times, the former Four Hills Tournament winner stated: “The jump works across the board. That’s important for the entire season.”
The Olympic Games are not taking place here like in 2017/2018. Instead, a world championship in Trondheim as the highlight of the season. And perhaps two German athletes, Schmid and Paschke, will finish the World Cup as overall winners. This has actually never happened before in history.