Karl Geiger doesn’t like such situations. The 28-year-old from Oberstdorf feels at home at a World Cup when he slowly improves, from the first training jump to the second and third, always going on and then also in the qualification. This is how he works out that good jumping feeling. But this time he failed in the preliminary rounds, of course he made it to the final, but it was a relapse in the improvement process, so again such a bad sign and anyway – hadn’t Karl Geiger, the World Cup leader, slacked off more often? Now, shortly before the Four Hills Tournament?
In such a situation a breakout is needed, and Karl Geiger succeeded in doing it early on Saturday evening. After the first competition in Engelberg, he increased his last melted lead in the World Cup to 118 points. Before that he had succeeded in what gives doubting jumpers the courage for the next task: a victory, namely by countering the trend, against this special Engelberg hill and against the doubts. “It wasn’t that easy,” he said, “I had to focus extremely.”
A personal victory: Geiger countered a counter-trend
As the penultimate he had slipped into the track, had hit the take-off point a little late, but it was enough for a stable, high and long flight, an experience that could last longer. The wind was favorable, it didn’t cause any trouble, it was blowing weakly up the hill from the monastery village of Engelberg, and because Geiger had closed his system on time and was picking up speed, the air carried him far down, just over the green line of the leading Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi . When the young and talented Slovenian Timi Zajc did not get far enough despite his lead from the first round, Geiger cheered as if this was his first World Cup victory. Afterwards he said that he had two “really great jumps” and: “I really enjoyed those minutes.”
Confidence in the load capacity of the skis: Karl Geiger sees Engelberg from the air.
(Photo: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP)
This was a bit of a first victory, Geiger had conquered something new with this counter-trend in his success phase, which has now lasted for almost three winters – at least for the time being. It is particularly uncertain whether he will be able to push him back on Sunday, at the second Engelberg jumping competition, on this hill with its abrupt jump point. What is certain, however, is that he can no longer be ousted from first place overall before the tour, that in principle he has the feeling for timing and the self-confidence that you will need on the so different and difficult touring hills after Christmas.
The rest of the German team of national coach Stefan Horngacher is currently unable to keep up with the best, Markus Eisenbichler also experienced a setback on Saturday, his final jump only brought him to 27. Eisenbichler is in principle capable of being among the top ten land, he had already achieved this twice in the current season in third place. But the Siegsdorf resident still lacks confidence in his jump and in the carrying capacity of his skis. Sometimes it works, sometimes it falls behind. Just like his teammates Stephan Leyhe, Andreas Wellinger, Pius Paschke, who were beyond the top 20 on Saturday, only Constantin Schmid reached 16th place.
Eisenbichler also has to be patient: he looks for his shape according to an exact plan
Eisenbichler was injured in the summer jumping and now has to patiently regain his form. But because it is based on automated movements at the take-off table, it takes time. “I’m in work mode,” said Eisenbichler in Engelberg, “that’s really good for me.” He has to learn to be patient and, as Horngacher has basically prescribed for all jumpers in light and severe form crises: take one step at a time, even if the tour is about to begin. Especially for jumpers with newly healed injuries, explained Horngacher, a stage plan is worked out, with clear instructions “through which his jumpers can get back to the feeling for the hill”. This should be carried out, even if it takes that long, for example because the pressure cannot be felt in the inrun, or as Eisenbichler said in Engelberg: “The hill doesn’t talk to me.”
Karl Geiger, however, has again asserted himself among the many top people who announced themselves as favorites this strange autumn and also fell back again and who are to be expected. Kobayashi, the Slovenian Anze Lanisek, the three Norwegians Daniel Andre Tande, Marius Lindvik and Halvor Egner Granerud, as well as the Austrian Stefan Kraft – and a few others have already recommended themselves. They all struggled again and again and were puzzled.
Geiger was already further this time, he has solved another hill puzzle and felt the decisive pressure points at which it was time to take off, because the Engelberg hill answered him.