From a red-white-red perspective, the 70th Four Hills Tournament is under no stars, the hunt for the “Golden Eagle”, which Stefan Kraft, the last Austrian to date, has grabbed in 2015, is already a hopeless mission at halftime. Jan Hörl, fifth from Garmisch, is ninth in the overall ranking already 65.9 points behind the leading Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi, who, as the convincing winner of the two German competitions, has a chance of the second Grand Slam – i.e. triumphs in all four competitions within one Tour – can calculate.
This remarkable double has not yet been achieved by anyone. “I don’t think about that, I look from day to day,” said the 25-year-old, who managed to smile at the ceremony in Garmisch. The base of the trophy had loosened from the glass ball and crashed to the ground.
New hill, new chance
Who knows? Shards are supposed to bring luck – the kind of luck that Stefan Kraft tried to force in Garmisch. It was as clear as day that this would not work in a highly sensitive sport like ski jumping: The Salzburg man, who had described himself as an “outsider favorite” for the title, failed in the qualification. Today (1.30 p.m., ORF 1, elimination) is a new day – with a new hill and a new chance. The tour moves to Austria. More precisely to the legendary Innsbruck Bergisel, where the (witch) cauldron, which can accommodate up to 22,000 spectators, remains empty due to the pandemic.
Nevertheless, there is a mood-enhancer – Kraft’s buddy Michael Hayböck, who could hardly have chosen a better place for his comeback. The 30-year-old Kirchberg-Theninger has held the hill record in Innsbruck since 2015 with a distance of 138 meters.
Exactly 91 days ago, Hayböck had to undergo a disc operation. With the patience of angels, many therapy sessions and tireless efforts, the five-time individual World Cup winner got himself so well in shape that he was forced to return to the World Cup with a third place at the Continental Cup in Engelberg last week.
“Bergisel was my wish, it’s nice that it worked out. I’m very motivated,” said Hayböck, who is nowhere near 100 percent. “I still have to work on the consistency of my jumps, my fitness level can also be improved. I must not and will not rush anything.” Hayböck will not allow himself to be put under pressure from the narrow Olympic time window – the Winter Games will open in Beijing on February 4th. “If everything goes perfectly, I have the confidence to make a start there. I will let everything come my way,” emphasizes the UVB Hinzenbach athlete, who will have his last appearance to date in the World Cup on March 28, 2021 at the team ski flying in Planica ( Third place).
Every top result can be a door opener for China. Austria’s ski jumping men will be equipped with five to six Olympic tickets, currently only the two season winners Hörl and Kraft, who tried to clear his head while cross-country skiing, are currently set. In addition, the 28-year-old from Salzburg deployed a special unit in Seefeld. “I won’t bury my head in the sand,” promised Kraft.
The Bergisel calls
Austria’s ski jumping team has been waiting for a home win on Innsbruck’s Bergisel since 2013. At that time, local hero and record World Cup winner (53 successes) Gregor Schlierenzauer, who worked as a tour analyst for ZDF after his resignation in the summer, triumphed. Five athletes – including the Waldzell ORF expert Andreas Goldberger (1993, 1994, 1996) – entered the list of winners three times. The defending champion is Kamil Stoch from Poland, who missed the top 30 final in Garmisch.
Source: Nachrichten
