No new local hero for the New Year's competition in sight

Created: 12/30/2022, 6:04 p.m

By: Sven Sartison

Cuts a good figure in the air: Jacob Fried could also aim high in the future.

© Jan Simon Schaefer

After the end of Kilian Märkl's career, there will be no local heroes in the New Year's competition of the Four Hills Tournament.

The offspring of SC Partenkirchen are already in the starting blocks, but they are still far too young.

When the DSV eagles jump off the big Olympic hill on New Year's Day, the fans in the outrun will cheer them frenetically when they return after the two Corona years - that's for sure.

Led by Karl Geiger and Andreas Wellinger, who started well in fourth and sixth place in Oberstdorf, and supplemented by six athletes from the “national group”, a total of 13 German jumpers will take their place on the take-off board in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

If everyone survives the qualification on Saturday.

And yet there is a drop of bitterness: A local hero from SC Partenkirchen is not present at the New Year's competition after Kilian Märkl from Grainau retired in the summer.

Top talent is simply too young

A fact that Michael Maurer, President of the SCP, also regrets.

"It's a shame that Kilian quit," he says.

"Of course, a local hero would be perfect and is always the best thing for an organizer." Knowing full well that life "unfortunately is not a request concert".

And part of the harsh reality is that in the foreseeable future, at least in the next two, three, four years, there won't be any Springer from Partenkirch who has what it takes to take part in a tour.

Even if things can sometimes go very quickly in ski jumping.

Hoping for the big leap in his career: 15-year-old Simon Willibald is considered one of the greatest ski jumping talents in the SC Partenkirchen camp.

© Jan Simon Schaefer

This is not primarily due to the class of the young athletes from Partenkirchen, but rather to their age.

You're just too young.

Johannes Fischer, who has been the SCP jump trainer for two and a half years, confirms the greatest potential, as well as Simon Willibald and Jacob Frid.

Both born in 2007, so only 15 years old.

Of course, there have also been youngsters in the past who caused a sensation at the Four Hills Tournament.

Just think of Toni Innauer, who made his debut in 1974 at the age of 15, or Domen Prevc from Slovenia, who was only one year older when he premiered in 2016.

But the two talents from Garmisch-Partenkirchen are not that far yet, so far they are gaining experience in the Alpine Cup and the German Cup.

"If you keep going and stick with it, you can make it," predicts Fischer.

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Hoping for an “ah effect” on the tour

He is also aware of how important, even decisive, the coming years are for the two of them.

“It becomes critical when you are 18 and you have almost no support.

It's difficult if you don't work for a government agency and have to pay for everything out of your own pocket.” The 21-year-old knows what he's talking about.

The former combined athlete gave up his dream of competitive sport three years ago - precisely for these reasons.

Today he is doing a dual degree in sports science in Ismaning.

All in all, everyone in the SC Partenkirchen camp agrees that the vaulting department is not doing badly.

A total of 18 children and young people take part in the training.

"It's a purely competitive sport.

The inflow is just right for that,” says Maurer.

Fischer sees “the wide range of other sports, leisure activities and school” as the greatest difficulty in generating offspring.

Geiger, Wellinger and Co. could therefore do the best advertising for the sport with another good result in the New Year's competition.

"It just needs an 'ah effect'," says Maurer.

For the DSV-Adler at the Four Hills Tournament as well as for the SCP.

So that the spectators in Partenkirchen can once again cheer for a local hero.