Saturday 15 January 2022
Flew out of the “touring low”.
Suddenly things are going really well for DSV-Adler
After the bankruptcy in Bischofshofen and the Four Hills Tournament, the German ski jumpers came back strong in the team dress rehearsal for the Olympics with second place. Karl Geiger in particular shines with giant sentences. Shortly before the end, the DSV eagles pass the Japanese with high-flyer Kobayashi.
Karl Geiger jubilantly showed both fists, Markus Eisenbichler, who was so grumpy recently, grinned contentedly: The German ski jumpers flew out of the “post-tournee low” and came back strong at the Olympic team dress rehearsal at the World Cup in Zakopane with second place. The short home vacation after the bone tour gave the DSV eagles wings.
“After Bischofshofen I really had to catch my breath because it was gone, it just wasn’t working anymore,” said Geiger on ZDF: “We can be proud of second place, but there’s still something to do with regard to Beijing.” Eisenbichler, who also jumped like a substitute, said: “After two weeks on the road, I just wanted to go home again. But then I was looking forward to ski jumping again – here in front of spectators, that’s cool.”
In front of 9,000 fans in a cauldron in Poland’s Schanzen Mecca, which was a third full, the German selection was only beaten by Slovenia. Six days earlier, the German selection at the World Cup in Bischofshofen – right after the rock-hard Four Hills Tournament – had only taken sixth place due to Geiger’s fall.
Violinist shines
Almost three weeks before the start of the Winter Games in Beijing (February 4th to 20th), the German quartet was 67 meters behind the surprisingly superior Slovenians (1101.7) with 1034.7 points. In the last lap, Geiger narrowly overtook the Japanese for 4-Hills-Tournament winner Ryoyu Kobayashi (1034.1 points).
“The boys jumped well, even if there were a few mistakes. But we can definitely be satisfied with second place,” said national coach Stefan Horngacher after an exciting competition in difficult conditions at his old place of work. In addition to Geiger, who shone with 135.5 and 137.0 meters, Eisenbichler in particular showed a strong performance with 126.0 and the daily best of 141.5 meters in the second round. Stephan Leyhe (129.5 + 117.0) and Severin Freund (121.5 + 128.5) each dropped after a weak jump.
Compared to Bischofshofen, Leyhe and Freund replaced Constantin Schmid and Andreas Wellinger in the team. After the training jump on Friday, Olympic champion Wellinger felt a stab in his right knee, on which he had been operated in 2019 for a cruciate ligament rupture. The 26-year-old left home early for a medical check-up. On Sunday (4 p.m./ZDF and Eurosport) there will be an individual competition in Zakopane, after which the DSV-Adler will go to the home World Cups in Titisee-Neustadt and Willingen before Beijing.