Ski jumping
Wellinger: Rivalry with Austria is what makes the tour
Andreas Wellinger is looking forward to the tour duels with co-host Austria. photo
© Philipp Schmidli/KEYSTONE/dpa
The 72nd Four Hills Tournament begins in Oberstdorf, the German jumpers have great ambitions. Olympic champion Wellinger emphasizes the importance of the duels with co-hosts Austria.
Olympic ski jumping champion Andreas Wellinger considers the duels between German and Austrian athletes at the Four Hills Tournament to be elementary.
“Of course it’s nice that we have this rivalry. That’s what defines the tour. That’s what defines the teams. Without the duel it would be a bit boring,” said Wellinger in the German team hotel in Fischen. In addition to Wellinger, Karl Geiger and Pius Paschke from the German team, Austria’s overall World Cup leader Stefan Kraft is the favorite for the title on the 72nd tour.
Before the start on Friday (5.15 p.m./ARD and Eurosport) in Oberstdorf, there was a break of over a week and a half from competition. National coach Stefan Horngacher assumes that many struggling nations have caught up since the World Cup in Engelberg. “The time factor always helps when you don’t jump well. But we also used the time pretty well, even with a longer regeneration phase,” described Horngacher. The Germans were in action until December 20th and then went into an extended break over Christmas.
The 54-year-old trainer expressly supports the change of hotel from the Tiefenbach district of Oberstdorf to Fischen. This has “certainly nothing” to do with superstition. “It just makes sense when you spend 99 percent of your training days here that we also live here during the tour. The guys know their stuff, everyone knows exactly where to get everything. It’s a logical consequence. That was a very good one “Cheap move,” Horngacher described.