Pius Paschke is currently in the form of his life in ski jumping – just before the start of the 72nd Four Hills Tournament. Martin Schmitt sees no contradiction in the explosion in performance and the advanced age of athletes.
Pius Paschke is “not a real secret favorite” for the Four Hills Tournament, said the “Eurosport” expert during a media round that also included sport.de participated. The performances that the 33-year-old has shown in ski jumping so far this winter are too good.
Paschke celebrated his first World Cup victory last Saturday in Engelberg. A third place on Sunday rounded off the strong result in Switzerland. The veteran is currently in third place in the overall ranking behind the Austrian Stefan Kraft (669 points) and DSV teammate Andreas Wellinger (447) with 443 points.
“I think it wouldn’t be a surprise if Pius is close to the podium during the tour,” said Schmitt. Paschke’s recent achievements are “really impressive”.
“It shows what you can still achieve as an athlete at an older age and what you can achieve through very concentrated work,” analyzed the 45-year-old.
Ski jumping: Schmitt recognizes further development at Paschke
Schmitt revealed that he himself only reached his all-time best jumping strength when he was over 30 years old. “It is often suggested that physical decline begins in your mid-20s and that you are already an old wreck by your early 30s. But if you love competitive sports, take care of your body and manage your training well, you will still be at top performance in your early 30s “, said the four-time ski jumping world champion. Experience is also important, Schmitt reminded.
“With the Pius you can see that he has once again developed enormously in terms of flying technology and has simply learned something new and now he has reached his absolute peak,” said the former overall World Cup winner about Paschke.