Discussion about “suspect” tour winners
Hannawald: “Punch and punch theater that the Austrians put on”
January 9, 2025 – 11:24 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Austria’s dominance in all competitions was the central theme of the Four Hills Tournament. Sven Hannawald also spoke up about this.
Is it the suits? Is it the bonds? Is it the shoes? For weeks, fans, experts and jumpers have been wondering why the Austrians were so much better than the rest at the Four Hills Tournament. The German neighbor took eleven out of twelve podium places, and three Austrians were also in the lead in the overall ranking.
In Norway, athletes and former jumpers were already amazed at the results after the start of the tour in Oberstdorf. Olympic champion Maren Lundby, for example, said on Norwegian broadcaster NRK: “That’s suspicious. They’ve been good all year long, and as soon as the Four Hills Tournament comes around, they’re even better.”
The Austrians rejected the indirect accusations, but the discussions did not come to an end. In Norway and Poland, after the last competition, people were sure that the answer lay in the shoes. Former jumper Johan Remen Evensen said: “I suspect that the Austrians made their shoes flatter. So that they fit better when running up and have a better starting position.”
Former German tour winner Sven Hannawald didn’t want to make such a specific statement in a Sport1 interview, but at the same time he said: “Since the Austrians were successful as a team, I assume that they will be in the summer or at the beginning of the year Winters found something when it came to the material, especially the suits. I think they were of good quality.”
Hannawald also praised the Austrians’ jumps. He doesn’t believe in an illicit advantage. “There are rules, be it the suit, the bindings or the shoes,” said Hannawald. Since the inspectors didn’t notice anything, he didn’t want to make any other assumptions. “I haven’t heard any rumors from the inner circles either,” said the 50-year-old.
The Austrians also fueled the discussions by partially covering the bindings on their skis. Photos of this circulated in several media outlets. “For me, this is a puppet show that the Austrians put on when they realize that they are two steps ahead of everyone else,” is Hannawald’s opinion. “I don’t want to talk about embarrassment. But they do make fun of it and enjoy the fact that everyone else thinks there’s a miracle bond involved.”
Hannawald had already said on ARD that Germany could take the Austrians as an example. But his main concern was dealing with the tour and the expectations. “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,” he said and added: “The Austrians let the tour happen to them, take photos everywhere, give interviews.”