Andreas Wellinger caused goosebumps with his victory in the opening competition of the Four Hills Tournament and now, between emotions and expectations, he wants one thing above all: to stay with himself.
There are moments when it becomes completely quiet, even in the midst of 25,000 ski jumping fans. The cheering people, the piercing sound of the horns and the booming bass in the stadium are far away. At this moment Andreas Wellinger closes his eyes, breathes deeply and rests his forehead on his set-up skis for a brief moment. He did it. He secured victory in the opening competition of the 72nd Four Hills Tournament with two strong jumps in Oberstdorf.
“I’m a bit speechless”says Wellinger just a moment later and grins. The silence is over now, the man with the blue cap and bright yellow jacket no longer has a moment to himself this evening. “I can’t even put it into words”Wellinger then tries: “The competition is so nice to jump in. The backdrop to it. I have to let that sink in first.”
Victory on the ski jump “with Challenges”
“The competition”, i.e. the ski jump in Oberstdorf, is a home game for Wellinger and his teammates at the start of the tour, but the 28-year-old has not been a fan of the jump so far. “It’s a hill that presents me with challenges”Wellinger provides a diplomatic description of a relationship that is not always easy after his victory: “I was able to fix it in training – in the summer, in the fall and the last week was important again.”
The fact that Wellinger can take the good feeling of the last days of training with him into the tour and can apparently easily recall the form and ease of the past few weeks at the highlight of the season even commands respect from national coach Stefan Horngacher: “That was flawless.”
Because Wellinger withstood the pressure. After all, the German team often seems to be a step ahead this season and has delivered so reliably in the weeks leading up to the Four Hills Tournament that expectations have risen and the hopes of the first German tour victory since Sven Hannawald over 20 years ago are almost tangible .
Wellinger in the role of favorite
With Wellinger, teammate Karl Geiger and, after his debut victory in Engelberg, Pius Paschke, three German jumpers recently provided a new form of expectation management for the fans. The fact that he is now taking on the role of favorite with his victory is by no means new for Wellinger. “As an old hand, I will be able to direct the emotions in the right direction,” he says. Because after a media marathon and a cold drink in the evening, regeneration and training are on the agenda on Saturday.
Next stop after the goosebumps: Garmisch. “We are far from a sure-fire success, but the foundation has been laid.”says Wellinger coolly, almost calmly. In fact, this season he is resting within himself, is clear, uncompromising, just wants to “get his stuff down” – and be successful with it.
Ahead of the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi and the overall World Cup leader Stefan Kraft from Austria, Wellinger leads the tour’s standings – so a three-way battle for overall victory? “Looking at the initial situation, I would say: yes. But that doesn’t mean it will stay that way.”says Wellinger: “The ten points are gone quickly. You can’t afford to make any mistakes.”
Wellinger’s dream of winning the tour
And that’s also why Wellinger wants to stick to himself, think about the season’s highlight, the Four Hills Tournament, in small steps and achieve it in big leaps. At the World Cup in Engelberg – two weeks before his opening victory in Oberstdorf, he showed that the 28-year-old could not only have athletic abilities, but also visual abilities. “I would like to read on January 6th: Finally a German at the top again”says Wellinger and grins. And who? “Well, preferably me.” Then Andreas Wellinger would have had more than just this one special moment on the tour.