In a thrilling and dramatic finale, Daniel Tschofenig won the Four Hills Tournament. With the last jump, the Austrian caught his previously leading compatriot Stefan Kraft. The last tour jumping was also disappointing for the German ski jumpers – Andreas Wellinger was the only one to make it into the top 10.
Winner Tschofenig led an Austrian triple success on Monday (January 6th, 2025) in Bischofshofen with distances of 136.0 meters and 140.5 meters. The Austrians triumphed both in the daily ranking in Bischofshofen and in the overall ranking of the 73rd Four Hills Tournament. Tschofenig won in both classifications and was able to raise the golden eagle in the air. Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft followed in second and third place in both the daily and overall rankings. The DSV Eagles jumped behind again in Bischofshofen – Andreas Wellinger came ninth as the best German.
Always Austria
The first round in Bischofshofen pretty much reflected the course of the Four Hills Tournament so far. There were three Austrians at the front, only one name had changed: Instead of Daniel Tschofenig, Maximilian Ortner (134 meters) was now on course for the podium in second place. Stefan Kraft (136 meters) led and Jan Hörl (140.5 meters) went into the final in third place. But Tschofenig (136 meters) in fifth place still had a claim to overall victory.
The first round was once again disappointing for the German ski jumpers. Andreas Wellinger (133 meters) was the best German in 14th place. Pius Paschke (133 meters) narrowly lost his duel against Halvor Egner Granerud, but ended up directly behind Wellinger in 15th place at halftime. Philipp Raimund (128 meters) went into the final in 19th place, Karl Geiger (126 meters) in 25th place.
Not there in the decisive round: Felix Hoffmann and Adrian Tittel, who were eliminated in 33rd and 36th place.
Wellinger best German in Bischofshofen
The second round didn’t bring any big surprises either. Only one DSV eagle was able to noticeably improve. Raimund (131 meters) and Geiger (134.5 meters) again delivered solid jumps in the second round, but did not fly far enough to move forward in the daily rankings. In the end it was 23rd place for Geiger and 14th for Raimund.
Pius Paschke (133.5 meters), who had to finally bury his tour hopes in Innsbruck, was also unable to convince in Bischofshofen. He just couldn’t get going and finished 12th – sixth overall.
“Sure, a little more would have been possible. Some things didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. There were good moments and a lot of things that I learned. It was also a new situation for me, starting the tour as favorite“, explained the 34-year-old after the best tour result of his career and added with a smile: “In 2035 I will win the tour.”
Disappointing result, but good development
Andreas Wellinger (135.5 meters) managed a good second jump, he temporarily took the lead and worked his way up to ninth place. He came eleventh in the tour standings. The 29-year-old was at least satisfied with his personal development during the tour in the ZDF interview: “We could have ski jumped better, we made too many mistakes. For me at least it was a step forward over the course of the season.“
Which Austrian does it?
The Austrians were once again in a league of their own. In front of the home crowd, the three leaders fought a thrilling three-way battle for the overall standings. They were all within one meter of the final jump. Tschofenig led the way and initially took a clear lead with a jump of 140.5 meters.
Jan Hörl also managed a huge leap of 143 meters, which made it all the more unfortunate that he wobbled when he landed and as a result his posture grades were poor. Crucial points – he fell just behind Tschofenig in the daily and overall rankings.
Wind drama at Kraft
Everyone now looked at the last person on the beam, Stefan Kraft. But he had to go back again because the wind was going crazy. A little waiting game began. A forerunner had to get on track, Kraft had to wait. Could that unsettle the leader again? After several minutes there was the green light for Kraft, who landed at 137.5 meters and missed out on the day’s victory and the tour victory.
The Golden Eagle went to Daniel Tschofenig. It is the first Four Hills Tournament triumph for an Austrian since Stefan Kraft ten years ago. The wait for a German winner after Sven Hannawald continues.