Everything about the Four Hills Tournament
Will the Germans break through the seemingly eternal lull?
December 28, 2023, 6:56 a.m
Two countries, four hills, one golden eagle: From this Friday onwards, the Four Hills Tournament for ski jumpers will once again be about a lot of sporting prestige and a lot of money for the winner. Traditionally, jumping takes place in Oberstdorf (December 29th), Garmisch-Partenkirchen (January 1st), Innsbruck (January 3rd) and Bischofshofen (January 6th). The German fans are hoping for the first overall tour victory for a DSV Adler since Sven Hannawald’s triumph in 2002. The season is going extremely well for Andreas Wellinger, Karl Geiger and Pius Paschke. Who could get in their way and how the women get involved: The most important questions and answers about the 72nd edition of the ski jump spectacle.
Who are the favorites?
The top favorite comes from Austria and knows how to win the tournament: Stefan Kraft is the best jumper of the season so far. The 30-year-old, who became tour champion in 2014/15, won five of eight competitions. Kraft also won the dress rehearsal in Engelberg, Switzerland. “Victory is all about him, there’s no getting around that,” says Jens Weißflug, 1994 Olympic champion. “That’s perhaps a good thing, it means the pressure isn’t quite as high for the Germans.”
A trio of German challengers has formed behind Kraft. Andreas Wellinger, Karl Geiger and team senior Pius Paschke are also among the favorites. Wellinger has shown the most consistency of the German team so far. The 28-year-old jumped onto the podium four times. Only once did he not finish in the top five. “If I had to choose one, it would be him. He absolutely has the potential,” says Weißflog about Wellinger’s title chances.
Geiger and Paschke managed to achieve what was still missing this season: Both have already been able to enjoy victories. Geiger won both competitions at the German home game in Klingenthal. The 33-year-old Paschke sensationally won the penultimate competition before the tour. Stephan Leye and Philipp Raimund are also at the start for Germany. Weißflog assesses the chances of a German overall winner as follows: “Very good, you can’t argue that away after this start to the season. But for it to work, everything has to be right. If someone is on the podium at the end, that would be great.”
The tour winners of the last two years, Halvor Egner Granerud from Norway and the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi, have not shown their brilliant form so far this winter. Kobayashi in particular, who has already won the tour twice, should not be written off.
How will the tournament winner be determined?
This is quickly explained: The points from all eight competition rounds are added together and the jumper with the highest total number of points wins. The only unusual thing is the starting order in the competition: Unlike in the World Cup, the athletes do not select the best 30 for the second round in the reverse order of the overall World Cup, but in 25 knockout duels that are determined in the qualification: The The best meets the 50th, the second meets the 49th – etc. The winners of the duels plus five best runners-up reach the final.
What does the winner get?
In addition to the golden eagle, the overall winner of the tour can also look forward to a state financial bonus. There is 100,000 Swiss francs (around 105,000 euros) for the champion. In addition, there is the usual World Cup prize money from the Fis World Association for the individual competitions. They are paid out in stages to the best 30 athletes in each event. At the Four Hills Tournament, winning the qualification is also worthwhile. There are at least 3,000 francs (around 3,160 euros) for this.
Who is the pterodactyl?
Simon Ammann is celebrating a fabulous anniversary. It will be the Swiss’s 25th participation. The now 42-year-old four-time Olympic champion has once again been nominated for the Swiss squad. Last winter, the veteran had to find his way back into the Continental Cup after a late start to the season and was missing from the prestigious event with competitions in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen for the first time since 2000/2001.
What’s the status of a women’s tour?
It is clear that there should be a Four Hills Tournament for female ski jumpers. But when and how remains unclear. With the so-called “Two Nights Tour” the jumpers want to get closer together. For the first time, they are holding World Cups around the turn of the year on the traditional tour ski jumps in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (December 30th) and Oberstdorf (January 1st).
Given that there are only two competitions, Hannawald doesn’t want to talk about half a Four Hills Tournament: “I can’t do anything by half measures,” said the 49-year-old and added: “I’m not talking about half a tour, but about jumping in Garmisch. That I’m not bringing up the topic of touring yet.” He also explained: “If there is a women’s tour, then it is the original one. It starts in Oberstdorf and ends in Bischofshofen. I don’t believe in setting up an alibi tour and then doing something all over the place. “
The women themselves, on the other hand, are more optimistic: “We just have to turn a few screws so that we have a complete tour,” says the world champion in the team and mixed team, Selina Freitag. Olympic champion Wellinger says: “They should get the chance for a Four Hills Tournament. It’s a process that is still ongoing, where the women are developing extremely well.”
There are currently too many organizational problems for a complete women’s tour with competitions in all four locations. The ski associations from Germany and Austria are in discussions to resolve them. A tour premiere for the ski jumpers next year cannot be ruled out.
Where can you see the jumping?
For everyone who is not there live at the ski jump, there is again an extensive TV offering. ARD and ZDF traditionally split coverage of the tour. The ARD reports on the qualifications and competitions at the opening competition in Oberstdorf and at the conclusion in Bischofshofen, Austria. ZDF is there in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck. All qualifications and competitions can also be seen on Eurosport. The “Two Nights Tour” will be broadcast in full by Eurosport. The ARD also reports on the first women’s jumping competition, the ZDF on the New Year’s competition by the athletes around three-time world champion Katharina Schmid.