interview
When former Four Hills Tournament winner Sven Hannawald thinks about the past ski jumping season, he draws a predominantly positive conclusion. The selective successes of the German ski jumpers, the consistent application of material control and the development of women’s ski jumping can be seen as successes for the sports show expert. The Saxon native expresses criticism of some of the decisions made by the competition jury. The big interview at the end of the season.
sportschau.de: Mr. Hannawald, we had a ski jumping winter with an Olympic Games, a German Olympic champion, a season with many premieres for women, two dominators with the siblings Domen and Nika Prevc. It was the first year after the suit scandal. There were new rules. What will remain of this winter? What will we remember in a few years?
Sven Hannawald: “For me in ten years this will definitely remain the case Gold for Philipp Raimund. It wasn’t announced, but it was somehow in the air. I will still have this memory in my head ten years from now about how the day went. There was a coronation when the national coach left that will stay in your head forever.”
sportschau.de: Did ski jumping in the year after Tampered suits scandal suffered damage from the Norwegians Marius Lindvik and Johann Andre Forfang?
Sven Hannawald: “Of course there was this damage due to the Norwegian case. The headlines were: cheating, doping, cheating. That’s not good for the sport. And this season there were disqualifications again. They also exist in Formula 1. Every disqualification shows others that it’s not worth it because times have changed. This season was important. Those who were still in the head in the old way of thinking were thrown out. It was good for everyone that Matthias Hafele as Material controller the regulations pulled through.”
sportschau.de: As a spectator, you also want the best ski jumper to win and not the best material. Is this a step in that direction?
Sven Hannawald: “There has to be an interlude. In Formula 1 there were times when you could put any driver in the best car and he would then become world champion. It can’t be like that, but in the end you have to find an interlude between material and people. Only the best material can’t win. And if, on the other hand, you have an ultra-talent who will determine the next ten years, it might also be boring. You have to find a middle ground. And that’s the difficult thing.”
sportschau.de: Where will the journey go?
Sven Hannawald: “The aim is that the checks no longer take place after the jump, but before. The main reason for this is that the measurement options are not yet there. The suit and the body have to be measured at the same time in order to be able to see whether the suit complies with the rules. The suit as such, in terms of cut, is becoming more and more simplified. The suit will change a little, but the base area remains similar.”
sportschau.de: Another more organizational question. This winter you have repeatedly criticized the jury for dubious decisions. For example at the Olympics, where the super team first delayed for a long time and then before the last two jumpers was canceled. And recently in Oslo, when wild winds caused irregular flights. And Philipp Raimund boycotted jumping has. What do you hope for the future here?
Sven Hannawald: “I’m always sorry that the jury always lets it get to the point where everyone asks themselves what are you actually doing here. They always say afterwards that it was difficult and we tried everything. But especially in Oslo you didn’t even have to try. Let it be, protect the athletes. And that Snow is coming at the Olympicsthat was already clear two days before. And why do I have to let it get to the point where everything becomes wild and chaotic? I can think about things beforehand, for example shortening the start interval so that the competition is over before the snow comes. Ultimately, it’s also about communication, about transparency in communication, and also about transparency in decisions.”
sportschau.de: From a German perspective, the former pilots Andreas Wellinger and Karl Geiger had big problems for a long time. At the end of the season theirs showed But the learning curve is upwards. What have they learned? And can they jump back to the top next season?
Sven Hannawald: “So the big problem for both of them is that they’ve already had great success. You could jump differently with the old suits. That’s what they did, they were successful and they saved this successful jumping sequence. This winter, jumpers like Wellinger and Geiger suddenly had less space in their suit. You have to work completely differently. That’s why they… No more ski flying now then showed again, that it’s their turn againbut that doesn’t mean they are capable of winning. It’s still sensational that it’s their turn. The work was worth it. That wasn’t easy.”
sportschau.de: Felix Hoffmann got off to a phenomenal start this season. He then ran out of breath at the back. You have already stated that he went around in circles. What would you recommend to him so that he can get off to a brilliant start in the new season?
Sven Hannawald: “Felix Hoffmann blindly fit into the new suit area without knowing it and was totally surprised at how well it went. I would hope that, based on his experiences this season, he would find opportunities for himself to remain more active during the season, to be able to have more influence. To see how things develop on the left and right. And to take solutions for himself from this so that he can keep up better.”
sportschau.de: Philipp Raimund was the most stable in the German team. In recent years there have always been ski jumpers who disappeared from the winner lists after a strong season. What indicate that Philipp Raimund’s successful run will continue next year?
Sven Hannawald: “What you’ve been able to experience emotionally this season is, of course, enormous. It definitely inspires you at the beginning, but of course it also costs energy. You also mentioned that to Philipp Raimund at the end, that he was really just exhausted. I was really happy for him that it worked like that. Now it’s important to get some distance, let yourself calm down and completely recharge your batteries again.”
sportschau.de: What is your assessment of young German talent? There were no individual medals at the Junior World Championships. In the three team competitions there were two silver medals and one bronze medal.
Sven Hannawald: “Of course I was really happy about that. There are a lot of junior world champions who unfortunately didn’t find their way into the World Cup. What I wish for all the medal winners is that they simply stay motivated. I hope that they continue to stay hungry, that they see the junior medals as a milestone. That they are on the right path, but that it’s not a sure-fire success from now on. That’s a bit of a problem for us, that the boys are afraid of the big task somewhere. I think that’s the case I also have to do a little bit these days. In the past, we had to work hard, but today we can see that everyone is doing well. We weren’t happy when we were in the first team.
sportschau.de: Two Slovenian siblings have dominated this season, Domes and Nika Prevc. Will this continue next season?
Sven Hannawald: “I’m excited myself. This year it was a surprise and somehow they couldn’t believe how well it was going. From next season onwards they will be measured by the season. They are no longer quite as relaxed. Their expectations are rising too.”
sportschau.de: The Austrian Andreas Mitter will be Apparently the successor to the outgoing national coach Stefan Horngacher. What do you think of the decision?
Sven Hannawald: “I support that. What speaks for Andreas Mitter is that he was already a head coach in Finland. It’s a smaller nation, but ski jumping is still very popular there. And with Antti Aalto he showed that he really worked in the right direction with the smallest financial resources. What also speaks for him is that he has now been able to gain a lot of experience as an assistant coach over many years. He has good access to the jumpers.”
sportschau.de: His predecessor Stefan Horngacher is leaving after more than six years German ski jumping. He has shaped world champions and Olympic champions. The great success of becoming a Four Hills Tournament winner was denied him. What remains of Horngacher?
Sven Hannawald: “It’s a shame that he didn’t manage to create my successor, but he achieved everything with ski flying world champion Karl Geiger and with Olympic champion Philipp Raimund. They won the Nations Cup in the overall World Cup. The overall package was a great era over the years. He worked really meticulously and faced great challenges. We also saw that other nations were able to adapt more quickly when faced with adverse rule issues. That’s up in the air. In the end, it’s the athletes who have to implement it. The preparation can you do as a coach, but in the end it’s up to those sitting on top of the beam.”
sportschau.de: Women’s ski jumping has made big steps this year, last weekend ski flying for the first time in Planica. There will be next winter Women’s Four Hills Tournamentthe World Cups are held in parallel with the men. How has women’s ski jumping developed? And where else are we going?
Sven Hannawald: “I think it’s great how women’s ski jumping has developed. It was good that you kept calm and went step by step. I I’m now looking forward to our first tour together like a little child with the women. There is no better debut for the 75-year-old. The fact that they were there in Planica and took a small step further is, step by step, absolutely moving in the right direction. And that’s my big compliment to the FIS.”
Thank you for the interview.
Dirk Hofmeister spoke to Sven Hannawald.
