Tournament as a duel: Wellinger remains just ahead of Kobayashi

Four Hills Tournament - Tournament as a duel: Wellinger remains just ahead of Kobayashi

Ski jumping star Andreas Wellinger has kept alive hopes of the first German overall victory in the Four Hills Tournament since Sven Hannawald in 2002.

The 28-year-old Olympic champion finished third on the large Olympic hill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen after jumping 138 and 137.5 meters. He thus remains the leader in the overall standings.

The prestigious event is increasingly coming down to a duel between Wellinger and Japan's Ryoyu Kobayashi. Kobayashi finished second in front of 21,000 spectators - a record for the New Year's ski jumping event according to the organizers - and is now 1.8 points behind Wellinger. The day's winner was Anze Lanisek (136 and 137 meters) from Slovenia.

"Andi Wellinger jumped super today and landed super, that was the most important thing. He did a great job. The jumps were at a very high level. I'm very happy with third place," said national coach Stefan Horngacher on ZDF. Wellinger said: "I managed to make two good jumps again. The second one was a bit better. I thought it would go a bit further." There hasn't been a German victory to start the year since Hannawald 22 years ago.

Next stop: Innsbruck

Unlike in Oberstdorf, when Wellinger won ahead of Kobayashi and Austria's Stefan Kraft, this time it was very close. After one run, the four best athletes were separated by just over one meter. Top favorite Kraft did not suffer a heavy defeat in Garmisch this time as in previous years, but lost further important points in the battle for the title after finishing sixth.

The qualification in Innsbruck continues on Tuesday (13:30/ZDF and Eurosport). It is the dreaded Bergisel ski jump that has repeatedly caused Germany's eagles heavy defeats in recent years and has often marked the end of the fight for the golden eagle.

Flying qualities and high approach speed

In 2024, the New Year's Ski Jump, which has often been lacklustre in terms of atmosphere in recent years, turned into a real party. On the first morning of the new year, local brass bands provided an excellent atmosphere. The sea of black, red and gold flags was accompanied by glorious sunshine and hits from Helene Fischer and Safri Duo. The ski jumping enthusiasm, additionally fueled by Wellinger's opening success, was on full display at the start of the new year.

"A victory like that in Oberstdorf is something very special. You have to let the emotions come out a bit. You have to make sure you slow down a bit. You need energy every day," said TV expert Severin Freund, himself a winner in the Allgäu in December 2015, on the ZDF microphone. And the crowd favorite did everything as usual.

Supported by great flying qualities and strikingly high approach speeds, the Ruhpoldingen native is currently among the elite with every single jump. Wellinger put the confusion surrounding his torn suit and the landing errors on New Year's Eve behind him and put in another impressive performance. "This is one of the greatest things you can experience as a ski jumper," said Freund with a view to the backdrop and significance of jumping on New Year's Day.

Champion Granerud again without a chance

Behind Wellinger - as in Oberstdorf - no other German was really able to compete for a place on the podium. Pius Paschke (10th) did well, but the rest of the team behind Wellinger are still a long way off the top of the world. This also applies to Karl Geiger, who celebrated two victories in Klingenthal just over three weeks ago.

"You have to remain humble and patient," said the 30-year-old from Allgäu, who only finished 16th after 129 and 130 meters. Co-favorite Geiger has already said goodbye to the fight for overall victory after the two German stations. Defending champion Halvor Egner Granerud from Norway once again had no chance and didn't even make it into the second round.