Four Hills Tournament: Sven Hannawald – “The favorite has never won”

The Four Hills Tournament begins in a few days. The 2002 winner and sports show expert Sven Hannawald looks at the season’s highlight for the ski jumpers. He talks about favorites, secret favorites and rule changes. And he explains what makes Pius Paschke so strong and what makes Markus Eisenbichler fail.

Sports show: Only a few days left until the Four Hills Tournament. What can we look forward to in the 72nd edition of the tour?

Sven Hannawald: “The Germans are stronger than they have been for a long time. Maybe even stronger than ever before. There have been winters where we were good. I remember this season when Karl Geiger started in yellow. And yet, unfortunately, everything never quite worked together. And this year we really have three parade horses plus a possibly surprising Philipp Raimund. We have four people who consistently perform on a weekly basis. This is a good basis for being able to play a role in winning the tour.”

Sports show: With Andreas Wellinger, Pius Paschke and Karl Geiger, three German ski jumpers are in the top 4 in the overall World Cup ranking. Who of the three likes the jumps on the tour the most?

Hannawald: “You can’t say that exactly. This is also due to the new material coordination. Karl Geiger has had a double victory in Engelberg in the past, for example, and he knows the jump. But recently he had problems again with the new material.

Andreas Wellinger always slips out a perfect jump and is immediately at the top. But he has a hard time remembering it all the time. The most stable one was Pius. But viewed from the outside, he’s the least likely person to trust him. Andreas Wellinger as an Olympic champion and Karl Geiger as a ski flying world champion have much more experience and completely different successes.

I once called Pius the “grandpa of the team”. He’s been there for a long time, but was never able to properly present himself. And now with the new rules, his jump fits. The jumps are no longer so different, the little things make the difference today. That’s why it’s incredibly difficult to commit.”

Sports show: Pius Paschke is the surprise of the season; he recently celebrated his first World Cup victory in Engelberg at the age of 33. What makes him so strong right now?

Hannawald: “There are some jumpers who benefit from the rules being fairer. Stefan Horngacher already said when he was new in office that Pius fits perfectly into ski jumping in terms of his jump, his physical ability – not too big, not too small. There was simply too much leeway in the interpretation of the rules.

That suited other jumpers. Now it’s more neutral and fair and jumpers like Pius are coming to the fore. He now also has to deal with expectations on tour. I think he has learned well and is not going crazy now. He knows his jump is working.”

Sports show: Keyword rule changes: This season there is a 3D scanner for the suits and a reduction in the size of the wedges in the shoes. Can you explain to us exactly what impact this has?

Hannawald: “The 3D measurement is done by a computer that measures the body. This is no longer a human measurer who has a good or bad day. A few nations thought they were being particularly smart and may have taken the step down when it came to measuring. The computer now recognizes this and then there is a red light. Then you only get one chance to repeat the measurement. As long as there is no green, you are not allowed to start. And so the jumpers stand there like little lambs.

Another measurement that has been reintroduced is the all-round measurement. This is measured by the step over the shoulder. This prevents the step from being influenced later. This automatically reduced the area of ​​the suits. You have to jump differently. A current example is Halvor Egner Granerud. With last year’s material he had an incredibly aggressive jumping routine. He just jumps forward with everything he has.

The surface of the suit caught him, of course he picked up a lot of speed and was able to fly away below. He’s still trying. But if you don’t have the space, you have to jump away from the table a little more sensitively. You have to jump more technically cleanly. Other nations also have difficulty with this, the Poles or the Slovenes for example. You actually have to learn a new jump.”

Sports show: Does the change in the wedges also benefit the technically better jumpers?

Sven Hannawald: “The size of the wedges is also added. I can put the wedges in the back of the boot, which means the ski comes to me faster after the jump. I can make the jump more aggressive, I can go full throttle. Because the wedges have been removed, the jumpers have to jump with more feeling.

The two rule changes show that the field has grown closer together. The best still wins, but no longer by 15 or 20 meters, but only by three or four. It is better to calculate when it comes to managing the competition when conditions change. Last year, with a little lift, the jumpers flew ten meters further. This has been slowed down with the new rules, everyone has moved closer together.”

Sports show: In recent years, German jumpers have repeatedly come to the tour as co-favorites – Karl Geiger, Markus Eisenbichler and Richard Freitag. And if you think back, it was always a matter of mind why there hasn’t been a German tour winner since Sven Hannawald in 2002. What can the Germans do differently now so that the mental component doesn’t play a negative role?

Hannawald: “Let’s take Innsbruck as an example. This is a matter of mind because the jumpers read that Innsbruck is the ski jump of fate. I can’t remember in my year that this was the ski jump of fate for me. That was the best thing in retrospect. In the same way, it is always said that Stefan Kraft can win the tour if he gets through Garmisch to some extent.

These are things that come into your head from the outside. And when you hear that all the time, you somehow believe it too. Ultimately, Innsbruck is a ski jump where the Germans train dozens of times a year. You know how it works. One fact is that you shouldn’t read so much that you should also cut back on social media. There are always comments that make you think. And you have to think enough anyway.

A basic requirement for the tour is that as a jumper you have to be 100 percent fit, so that you can relax a bit over the Christmas holidays so that you can get started full of energy. And that you avoid disruptive fires. The trainers are there all around. Whether you get through is up to you. You’re sitting up there alone, and you have to find a way to just ignore certain things.”

Sports show: Stefan Kraft has coped best with the pressure this season. The Austrian is clearly leading the World Cup. And he already won the tour in 2015. What is the hope that Kraft won’t just win all the jumps and superiority on the tour?

Hannawald: “The hope I have is that it was rarely the case that the favorite prevailed in the end. Stefan had also had to do individual jumping. He got a little lost in Klingenthal. But in Engelberg he recently showed that if he gets everything together, in my opinion he can’t be beaten. Of course I have no comparison to what it’s like when Karl Geiger, Andreas Wellinger, Pius Paschke and Stefan Kraft had a perfect jump in one round.

If Karl hits his jumps, he is extremely dangerous for victory. Also Andreas Wellinger and Pius Paschke. Stefan appreciates the rule change. He’s always had his jumping style, but he’s become so effective. Leading the World Cup gives him additional security. And still: It’s a cliché, but the tour has its own rules.”

Sports show: Two great jumpers of recent years, the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi and the Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud, are not really getting along this year. Can they still be expected on the tour?

Hannawald: “I’m putting Ryoyu on the list of surprise candidates. He has already shown in individual competitions that he is close. He hasn’t managed to finish at the top yet. Once he gets it all together, he’s just ahead. When everything comes together for Stefan Kraft, he is way ahead. These are the differences. Nevertheless, there may be shifts towards the tour. Because, for example, particularly good material is only used for touring, a new polish on the ski or another ski that is particularly fast.

All nations are still holding back with additional weapons. Things can still change. I’ve been a bit of a fan of Ryoyu since the beginning, he has a lot in common, which is what made me different. On the other hand, I don’t see Halvor Egner Granerud being far ahead this year because you can see that he’s having a hard time letting go of his old jump.”

Sports show: And are there any other secret favorites?

Hannawald: “That was almost it. You could still get Anze Lanisek on board. Some of it was already shining. But it also has to do with his material coordination. Especially the skis. He uses a ski, which is very effective. But the line here is extremely thin, between super good and failure. That’s why it’s difficult to calculate. I don’t have a very clear feeling that he often surprises me. The top favorites are those who have shown the best jumps. These are the Germans and the Austrians.”

Sports show: Finally, back to the German team. Markus Eisenbichler, one of the top performers of recent years, is not there. National coach Stefan Horngacher recently criticized Eisenbichler heavily. Is the criticism justified?

Hannawald: “I know that Markus Eisenbichler is a difficult character, but he has still held up the flag for Germany. Even in these phases we saw that it was difficult to convince Markus of the right path. Because he always thinks that only he is on the right path. What Stefan Horngacher is now letting out are things that have been difficult to bear for a long time.

For Markus it is either to wake up or stick to your own path. But then the end of your career will be relatively close. I am also very negatively surprised. I saw him at one of the last fall courses. What I saw there was great. He also dominated in practice runs and training at the German championship. I also have a lot of question marks. He spins in circles and stands on his feet. The coaches did everything for him. It’s his turn to wake up now.”

Dirk Hofmeister spoke to Sven Hannawald