The World Cup qualification went well for Andreas Wellinger. On Sunday it starts on the normal hill. Ski jumping icon Sven Hannawald talks about the opportunities-and season development.
On Sunday, the German ski jumper around Pius Paschke, Andreas Wellinger and Karl Geiger will start on the normal hill at the World Cup in Trondheim (Norway)-and want to make the recently disappointing results (from 5 p.m. in the T-Online live ticker). Sven Hannawald, who became world champion in 1999 with the team and in 2001 by the Großschanze with the team, believes in Stefan Horngacher’s team.
“I have the hope that it will be rewarded,” Hannawald said in an interview with T-Online about the DSV team around Wellinger and Geiger, who recently gave themselves optimistic. “To what extent this is converted into medals, you will see.” However, the four-hill tour winner of the 2001/02 season honestly says: “The German jumpers have been positive all the time and unfortunately have always got one on the lid. I praise the new positive approach.”
The 50-year-old knows that this is not that easy when things are not going on through his own many years of experience: “I have to admit that I know from my former time that I was annoyed at some point. Of course I continued, but I couldn’t be so positive in front of the cameras.” The focus is shifting: “I had to do with myself and was frustrated whether the situation I had to go through. That’s why I think it’s great that the boys want to remain positive and continue to work.”
Most recently, the euphoria of the start of the season with the good start of Paschke could not be seen or felt. The 34-year-old, who led the overall World Cup ranking, continued to slip and is currently in fifth place. In the World Cup qualification for the normal ski jump it was also overgrown for the veteran, who explained himself: “I’m still a bit struck, but it didn’t really have an impact on ski jumping now. It is physically uphill and then it is up to me.”
It went better for Wellinger. He ended up in second place behind Norwegian Johann André Forfang and, like Geiger, who became fifth, can hope for precious metal. According to Hannawald, the fact that the German jumper as “underdogs” go to the competition on Sunday and the further World Cup could also be advantageous: “The favorites are different, but that does not have to be negative. Pius was a favorite before the tour, but that went into the pants.” He now hoped “that the team will find a balance and so get back on track.”
In addition to the Austrians around Stefan Kraft and Daniel Tschofenig, forfang is also one of the title candidates. In Sapporo he became third in the dress rehearsal in the World Cup, in Lake Placid the Norwegian won. And now in front of a home audience? “This will be a sensational World Cup,” Hannawald is certain, but also calculates with difficulties for the hosts: “In their own country, the Norwegians are not quite as free. I am excited to see how they deal with the situation. Forfang has a great shape. The most expectations lie on it. To what extent he can fulfill them or implement them in a positive way.”