The last competition before the Four Hills Tournament ended with a shock, but one that gives hope. After many disappointments in the final round, Karl Geiger finally had a really good jump in Engelberg in Switzerland. But the flight carried him too far down. He fell, the spectators held their breath, but then he got up, grabbed his skis and walked elatedly out of the ski jump.
This fall could now bring hope to the rest of the German Ski Association (DSV) team, because the distance would have been enough for a podium finish. At the same time, it also became clear that this 71st tour could become a series of diversity. Often two or three of the best break away during the tour, which will soon come to a head. But this time there are four clear favorites at the start, from four different nations: Dawid Kubacki (1st/Poland), Anze Lanisek (2nd/Slovenia), Stefan Kraft (3rd/Austria) and Halvor Egner Granerud (4th/Norway). ) lead the list of the overall World Cup.
This tour edition could thus do some advertising for your product, after the 2021/22 edition hardly caused any mood, also because of the Corona winter. The first competition has been sold out for days; at the start in Oberstdorf there are only tickets for the qualification – on the final day, December 29th, every seat in the Ski Jumping World Championship Arena is occupied with 27,000 spectators.
Sales are also picking up because, in addition to the top quartet, other jumpers are getting in shape. Not only the Germans Karl Geiger and Andreas Wellinger are there, but other top jumpers. Manuel Fettner (Austria), for example, suddenly came second in the most recent competition. Others, such as the tour winners Ryoyu Kobayashi (Japan) and Kamil Stoch (Poland), rely on hard work in this race for the best form, i.e. many training jumps during the Christmas break.
The operation of the best on the hills is increasing. Not only the men jump at this time, but also the women, whose New Year’s tour now has its premiere. They also determine their winners in four competitions, but only in two places. The overall World Cup leader Katharina Althaus from Oberstdorf has good chances, she is just ahead of the Austrian Eva Pinkelnig and the Norwegian Silje Opseth. The women’s series also includes four jumps. There will be two jumps each in Villach/Austria (December 28th and 29th) and in Ljubno in Slovenia (December 31st and January 1st). Because the integration of women into the men’s tour, which was already planned for 2023/24, has been delayed, the New Year’s Eve tour will probably also take place next year. All in all, there is already a lot of ski jumping at the turn of the year, even an overall victory for the DSV could result, namely in the women.
71st Four Hills Tournament, December 29 to January 6 in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen; Women’s New Year’s Tour, December 28 to January 1, Villach and Ljubno