Unusual encounter
Hannawald and Ullrich duel on TV show
October 9, 2025 – 10:18 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Ski jumping meets cycling – but not on the hill or on the road. Two former top athletes compete in “Schlag den Star”.
When a new episode of the show “Schlag den Star” is broadcast on ProSieben on October 25th, two prominent figures in German sports will face each other: Sven Hannawald and Jan Ullrich. The former ski jumper and the former cyclist compete against each other in up to 15 rounds (8:15 p.m.). In addition to sporting and mental fitness, it’s about skill, knowledge – and prize money of 100,000 euros.
For Hannawald, taking part in an entertainment format is not new territory. The 50-year-old regularly works as an expert on ARD ski jumping broadcasts and has already appeared in various TV shows such as “Ninja Warrior” and “The Lions’ Den”. Back in 2013, he took part in “Schlag den Star” and defeated Tobias Gibas.
Hannawald reached his sporting peak in the 2001/2002 season when he was the first athlete and, until 2018, the only one to win all four competitions in the Four Hills Tournament. There are also two world championship titles in ski flying as well as Olympic medals – gold with the team and silver in the individual at the 2002 Winter Games.
A few years after these successes, Hannawald withdrew from top-class sport. In 2004 it became public that he was being treated for burnout syndrome, and a year later he ended his active career. “Schlag den Star” opponent Jan Ullrich has also experienced personal lows in addition to sporting highlights.
The 51-year-old was the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997, won the Vuelta in 1999 and the 2000 Olympic gold in the time trial as well as silver in the road race. Years later, he publicly confessed to having doped, like many of his colleagues at the time.
After the end of his active career, Ullrich fell into a serious personal crisis, characterized by drug and alcohol problems as well as several run-ins with the law. Eventually he sought therapeutic treatment. Ullrich only found his way back into the public eye in 2023 as part of the documentary “Jan Ullrich – The Hunted,” in which he spoke in detail about his past for the first time.