World Cup in Japan
German ski jumpers in Sapporo without a chance of a podium
Takes twelfth place as the best German jumper in Sapporo: Karl Geiger. photo
© Robert F. Bukaty/AP/dpa
The German ski jumpers end their business trip to Japan with a sporting disappointment. A Japanese ski jumping legend can’t be a surprise this time.
At the end of the World Cup weekend, the German ski jumpers have… Japan cannot intervene in the fight for the podium places.
Karl Geiger took twelfth place as the best jumper from national coach Stefan Horngacher’s team in Sapporo. The 31-year-old jumped 121 and 128 meters. Andreas Wellinger, who had finished third the day before, ended up in 16th place. For the 28-year-old, it was the second-worst World Cup result of the season.
In the overall World Cup, Wellinger is still third behind leader Stefan Kraft from Austria and the Japanese Four Hills Tournament winner Ryoyu Kobayashi. Geiger is in fifth place. The Slovenian Domen Prevc secured victory ahead of Kobayashi. Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal from Norway came third.
From the German team, Philipp Raimund in 17th place and Felix Hoffmann in 19th place scored World Cup points. Stephan Leyhe and Pius Paschke were eliminated after the first round. The 51-year-old Japanese Noriaki Kasai also didn’t make it into the second round this time – unlike on Saturday. The ski jumping legend finished 43rd.