Enlarge image
Is seventh in the overall World Cup: Karl Geiger
Photo:
IMAGO/GEPA pictures/ Oliver Lerch / IMAGO/GEPA pictures
Hopeful Karl Geiger leads the squad of German ski jumpers for the 71st Four Hills Tournament (December 28th to January 6th) that starts on Wednesday in Oberstdorf.
In addition, as expected, national coach Stefan Horngacher relies on six-time world champion Markus Eisenbichler (Siegsdorf), Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger (Ruhpolding), Stephan Leyhe (Willingen), Constantin Schmid (Oberaudorf) and Pius Paschke (Kiefersfelden).
Tour debutant Philipp Raimund (Oberstdorf), who last impressed in the Continental Cup, secured the additional quota place for the German team.
As in the previous year, the national group can start at the second station in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
In search of his top form, Geiger takes a particularly close look at the strong competition between Poland's Dawid Kubacki and Slovenia's Anže Lanišek.
“They just jump an extremely fine blade and have an incredibly stable jump.
I take a look and think: They must be doing something much better than I am at the moment," said the man from Oberstdorf, who is currently seventh in the overall World Cup.
“You try to use that as self-optimization.” Geiger has recently improved his form, but his jumps are still lacking in consistency.
In the overall ranking Kubacki leads before the start of the 71st Four Hills Tournament ahead of Lanišek, the Austrian Stefan Kraft and the Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud.
»The four jumpers are setting the tone at the moment, they are better than everyone else.
I think these are the ones you have to compete with," said national coach Stefan Horngacher about the tour favorites.
The 53-year-old added: “They have no secret, they just jump well.
Technically clean, determined, with a good self-confidence, they ski really well.
I don't see any sorcery with technical material.«
Horngacher relies on continuity
Unlike in previous years, according to Horngacher, they are »not among the absolute top favourites«.
Nevertheless, the 53-year-old was confident: "We've been working calmly and patiently over the past few weeks, taking step by step in the right direction.
We want to continue this process during the tour and get back into top form through the individual competitions.«
Four jumpers from the DSV squad had already made it onto the podium at the tour in the past.
In addition to Geiger (2nd 2020/21 and 3rd 2019/20), Wellinger (2nd 2017/18), Eisenbichler (2nd 2018/19) and Leyhe (3rd 2018/19) also succeeded.
The last German tour victory by Sven Hannawald (2001/02) was 20 years ago.
kjo/dpa
