Ski jumping
Wind and fog characterize the Lahti World Cup: Wellinger comes seventh
Andreas Wellinger achieved jumps of 126.5 and 126 meters in Lahti, Finland. photo
© Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva/dpa
In a tough and at times turbulent competition, the German ski jumpers did not make it onto the podium. They sometimes receive their start signal in an unusual way.
Wellinger, who placed third in the overall ranking, took seventh place as the best athlete from national coach Stefan Horngacher’s team. Wellinger jumped 126.5 and 126 meters. World Cup leader Stefan Kraft from Austria came eighth, second-placed Ryoyu Kobayashi from Japan came fifth.
“You need good jumps and luck,” Wellinger aptly summarized the competition after the first round on ZDF. When the result was clear, he said, looking at the external conditions: “You shouldn’t overestimate the competition.” He is satisfied with his jumps.
Horngacher: “Unfortunately we have to live with that”
Because the wind was blowing gusty, the athletes had to wait from time to time. Because of the fog, they were sometimes given their starting signal by a whistle. In addition, the compensation points fluctuated greatly. Horngacher was calm about it: “Unfortunately we have to live with that. It’s an outdoor sport.”
Karl Geiger was less relaxed. “Man!” roared the 31-year-old after his attempt at 112.5 meters in unfavorable wind conditions. “Now I’ve really got into the shit,” said the Oberstdorfer. Geiger, for whom things had not been going as planned for weeks, was eliminated after the first round. “That annoyed me because I would have actually seen the jump better,” he said.
The Austrian Jan Hörl took victory, ahead of Peter Prevc from Slovenia and the Pole Aleksander Zniszczol. The day before, Germany took third place in the team competition.