Kraft’s tour start hung by a thread

Stefan Kraft, the fifth from Oberstdorf, leads Austria’s “Adler” to the second station of the 71st Four Hills Tournament in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where on Saturday (2 p.m., ORF 1) the qualification for the New Year’s competition on Sunday (2 p.m., ORF 1) the stage will go.

The man from Salzburg, who is 20.4 points behind the dominator in the Allgäu, Halvor Egner Granerud (North), no longer looks so pale in the face and is confident about the near future.

“I’m super happy that I have energy again. I’m back in full swing,” emphasized the 29-year-old, who was hit harder than outsiders would have guessed. Kraft’s appearance in Oberstdorf was actually hanging by a thread.

“For a long time it wasn’t clear whether he could compete at all because he was really ill when he arrived,” reported ÖSV head coach Andreas Widholzl. “Under these circumstances, Krafti did a very good job.”

head thing

A further increase will be necessary in Garmisch. This is where the wheat is traditionally separated from the chaff. The list of athletes who gambled away their chances on the Olympic hill is long and peppered with red-white-red athletes’ names. Ski flying world record holder Kraft, for example, tried to force his luck a year ago – and failed miserably in the qualification.

Who in the “hunter role” – because of the arithmetical obligation to deliver – with the knife between the teeth over the Bakken, quickly experiences his blue miracle. This Four Hills spectacle is decided not only in the air, but also in the mind. A very sensitive matter.

Nevertheless, it does not only need pats, which Widholzl only had left for Kraft and Carinthian Daniel Tschofenig, who was eighth.

The rest of the septet had to listen to critical tones. “They weren’t quite there, so there’s definitely a lot that could be done better overall. So it’s a bit too little for the front,” said the coach.

“I have to tick off Oberstdorf and just look to the future,” emphasized the 37-year-old team Olympic champion Manuel Fettner, who feels heavy about 13th place. “I didn’t find the right balance.”

Maybe on Sunday. In Garmisch, they are preparing for up to 30,000 spectators, especially since the (not favourite) German athletes, under the direction of their Tyrolean head coach Stefan Horngacher, have been promoting the event. Karl Geiger is fourth in the classification, Andreas Wellinger sixth, Philipp Raimund 14th.

Incidentally, the last Austrian winner in Garmisch to date was Thomas Diethart. That was in 2014. It’s been a long time.

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Alexander Zambarloukos

Sports Editor

a.zambarloukos@nachrichten.at

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