Kobayashi, Geiger, Stoch …: Ten favorites fight for the Four Hills crown

Sunday, December 26th, 2021

Kobayashi, violinist, stoch …
Ten favorites fight for the Vierschanzen-Krone

The Four Hills Tournament is in its 70th edition and Sven Hannawald’s last overall German victory was 20 years ago. With the classic, Karl Geiger could follow in his footsteps – but the competition has it all.

The German ski jumpers around Karl Geiger start the Four Hills Tournament with one big goal: 20 years after Sven Hannawald, a DSV eagle should finally celebrate the overall victory again. But other jumpers were also in top form beforehand. Here are the favorites:

Karl Geiger (28 / Oberstdorf)

Tour participations: 9 – Best placement: 2nd (2020/21)

Third place two years ago, second place a year ago – even with the smallest mathematical skills, the logical progression is clear: For Karl Geiger it is about the first overall German tour victory since Sven Hannawald in 2001/02. The Oberstdorfer has long since become a complete jumper, “Karle” impresses with his unshakable calm. Twice in a row, however, the double world champion gave away the tour victory in Innsbruck, in 2020 with eighth place and in 2021 with 16th place.

Markus Eisenbichler (30 / Siegsdorf)

Tour participations: 9 – Best placement: 2nd (2018/19)

In top form, “Eisei” is the most spectacular flyer in the World Cup, but he is currently (too) desperately looking for it. The six-time world champion traveled to the tour as a co-favorite in the past two years and experienced a lot of frustration. In 2019/20 he did not make it into the top 10 in any competition, in 2020/21 he only made it into the top 5. This time the preliminary work was sobering, but Eisenbichler cannot be written off: If he explodes, then do it right.

Ryoyu Kobayashi (25 / Japan)

Tour participations: 5 – Best placement: Winner (2018/19)

The Japanese noble flier is actually the real World Cup leader: He got 496 points from six competitions, Kobayashi was missing twice (three victories of the season) because of a corona infection, once because of a disqualification – makes an average of 82.6. Competitor Geiger (two wins) had 594 points (66.0) in nine starts. Because “Koba” is almost back in the cream form of his tour “Grand Slam” of 2018/19, he is the top favorite.

Stefan Kraft (28 / Austria)

Tour participations: 10 – Best placement: Winner (2014/15)

Between 2009 and 2015, the tour victory went to Austria seven times in a row. Since Kraft’s triumph at the end of this golden era, the Austria Eagles have been waiting for success – and are hoping for the veteran again. However, world champion Kraft regularly plagued back pain, a corona infection in the pre-winter paralyzed him for a long time. In some cases he is still a victory jumper, as he showed as the winner of Klingenthal. Maintaining this level over eight competition jumps, however, will be his problem.

Halvor Egner Granerud (25 / Norway)

Tour participations: 5 – Best placement: 4th (2020/21)

In the pre-winter, Granerud dominated the World Cup at will, until then without a career win, won the five competitions before the tour – and remained there without a win. A year later, the Norwegian has big errors in the system that lead to immense fluctuations: In nine competitions he finished six times in the top seven, was 48th once and failed twice in the qualification. Everything can be expected from Granerud on the tour – or nothing.

Marius Lindvik (23 / Norway)

Tour participations: 2 – Best placement: 2nd (2019/20)

Two years ago, Lindvik’s two daily victories weren’t enough to achieve overall success. Last year, after finishing third in Oberstdorf, he ended up in hospital with an infected tooth – the Norwegian has not been a lucky kid on the tour so far. A Lindvik at its best is behind a Granerud at its best, but it is more consistent.

Kamil Stoch (34 / Poland)

Tour participations: 16 – Best placement: Winner (2016/17, 2017/18, 2020/21)

“King Kamil” has long been a legend and has won everything at least once except for this damned world championship title in ski flying. Tour defending champion Stoch is currently the only reasonably reliable figure in a disastrous Polish team, but there is little to suggest a fourth “Four Hills” title. But if someone can be trusted to fly from (near) 0 to 100, then Stoch.

Anze Lanisek (25 / Slovenia)

Tour participations: 5 – Best placement: 21st (2019/20)

Lanisek has so far been in the shadow of the three Prevc brothers, but because the big Peter and the little Domen in particular are stuck in the performance gap, the shadow man suddenly jumps into the limelight. In February he was already third at the World Championships on the normal hill, at the end of November in Ruka he won the World Cup for the first time – Slovenia’s new number one is constantly on the up.

Killian Peier (26 / Switzerland)

Tour participations: 5 – Best placement: 10th (2018/19)

The indestructible Simon Ammann is turning into the home straight of his career at the age of 40, so it is very convenient for the Swiss that “Simis” designated successor jump back to the highest level faster than expected. Peier, who finished third behind Eisenbichler and Geiger in 2019, had gone on sick leave a year ago with corona and cruciate ligament rupture – at the touring dress rehearsal in Engelberg, he was twice fourth again.

Jan Hörl (23 / Austria)

Tour participations: 3 – Best placement: 25th (2019/20)

In terms of breadth, the potential of the ski jumping nation Austria is impressive, but at the top it is very manageable. This underlines the following fact: When Hörl won in Wisla at the beginning of December, an ÖSV eagle celebrated its first World Cup victory for the first time in almost seven years – Michael Hayböck had previously achieved this in January 2015. Even if no miracles are to be expected from Hörl: Stefan Kraft, who has won the 17 Austrian victories before, is at least no longer a solo entertainer.