Austria celebrates, the Germans blame frustration: After the renewed disappointment in Innsbruck, the tour for Pius Paschke and Co. is practically over.
Stefan Kraft threw a round of eggnog in the red-white-red party vehicle heading to Bischofshofen and got in the mood with his Austria teammates for the historic heart-stopping finale of the Four Hills Tournament. After the defeat in Innsbruck, there was silence and perplexity among the German traveling group: overall victory and a podium are miles away, the gap to the dominant Austrians is huge – for Pius Paschke and Co. that’s all they can do on their “zero chance tour”. nor about damage limitation.
“The tour is over, you have to accept and respect that,” said national coach Stefan Horngacher, shrugging his shoulders after the cold shower in the hot atmosphere in front of 22,500 spectators at Bergisel.
There Paschke, who had traveled to the tour as one of the favorites, had once again had no chance in eighth place at the Austrians’ gala air show. “A little something was missing again,” said the 34-year-old, who didn’t come close to the very best in qualifying for the final competition in Bischofshofen on Sunday with 13th place.
Final of the Four Hills Tournament will be “really exciting”
Paschke is sixth overall ahead of the final on Monday (4:30 p.m./ZDF/Eurosport and in sport.de-Live ticker) 22 meters behind Kraft, who won the Austrian championships in Innsbruck ahead of Jan Hörl and Daniel Tschofenig – in the overall ranking they are not a meter apart.
“The distance is abnormal, it will be really exciting,” said Tschofenig with a grin. In Bischofshofen the situation was clearer: Kraft won the qualification and was well ahead of Tschofenig (4th) and Hörl (6th).
“The Austrians are enjoying it at the moment. They have an extreme flow – like I did a few weeks ago,” said five-time season winner Paschke: “That makes it seem like they are much better – but it’s not that much.” A bold assessment at the moment.
Paschke is still clearly the best German – alongside him, only Andreas Wellinger (13th) and Philipp Raimund (15th) reached the second round at Bergisel. Great for a nation that sets itself the goal of winning the tournament every year.
“I’m not disappointed. Otherwise I would have been disappointed for 23 years,” said Horngacher. The Austrian has been in the Black Forest for a long time and has felt the painful dry spell since Sven Hannawald’s triumph in 2001/02. But Hannawald himself is gradually losing patience.
Hannawald complains about the weak trend
The “ARD” expert said that the German jumpers were at the highest level in terms of material and training, but not in terms of mentality. “At the beginning of the season there is a certain lightness. Before the tour it becomes firmer, it feels heavier. They can’t manage this trend and change it,” diagnoses Hannawald: “The Austrians let the tour come to them, take photos everywhere, give interviews. “
They now fly away from everyone almost weightlessly, facing only the fourth triple victory for a nation in the long history of the tour – in what is probably the most exciting finale of the classic. “We will have a shame, the best should be in front in the end,” says Kraft. There is no sign of stressful pressure in the ÖSV team, the main actors rush through the tour with childlike joy.
The “Krafti” conducted the masses on Bergisel with “Hörli” and “Tschofi”, flipping around like a teenager at the age of 31. Coach Andi Widhölzl slid down the landing hill on his back, grinning – it was the sheer lightness of being.
Ten years after Kraft became the last Austrian to win the tour, the ÖSV Eagles have found the remedy for the dry spell. The DSV eagles continue to search. And puzzle and marvel.
“If I knew what the Austrians were doing,” said Raimund, “then I would do the same thing.”
The knockout duels of the DSV jumpers (the position in the qualification in brackets):
Andreas Wellinger (Ruhpolding/9th) – Roman Koudelka (Czech Republic/42nd)
Pius Paschke (Kiefersfelden/13.) – Halvor Egner Granerud (Norway/38.)
Philipp Raimund (Oberstdorf/15.) – Naoki Nakamura (Japan/36.)
Karl Geiger (Oberstdorf/16.) – Sakutaro Kobayashi (Japan/35.)
Felix Hoffmann (Goldlauter/37th) – Johann Andre Forfang (Norway/14th)
Adrian Tittel (Aue/44th) – Benjamin Östvold (Norway/7th)