Four Hills Tournament: Why Pius Paschke gives Germany hope

Ups and downs are part of competitive sports. And it takes patience, a lot of patience. Pius Paschke can tell you a thing or two about it. For a long time it looked as if the ski jumper from Kiefersfelden would never really be able to reap the fruits of his hard work. But just when no one expected it anymore, Paschke’s perseverance began to pay off.

At the age of 34, the Bavarian was last in the form of his life. Five wins from eight individual competitions, a total of seven times on the podium – Paschke has won victory after victory in the World Cup winter so far and is wearing the yellow jersey at the Four Hills Tournament from December 28th, 2024 to January 6th, 2025, making him one of the favorites.

At the dress rehearsal in Engelberg there was a setback: Paschke only took 18th place. Nevertheless, expectations for the tour after Christmas remain high.

A good year ago, on December 16, 2023, Paschke’s late flight began in Engelberg. The ski jumper’s persistence finally paid off. Paschke achieved his first World Cup victory that day at the age of 33. No other ski jumper was older when he made his debut on the top podium.

Paschke has been taking part in the Ski Jumping World Cup regularly since 2017. So he had to be patient for seven years until he finally managed to win. Previously, his greatest successes were tied to team achievements, such as first place at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf in 2021. Anyone who waits so long for individual success can be satisfied with that for now – right?

Paschke obviously sees things differently. The Bavarian has continued to work on himself since then. As if he had just begun. Start-up phase, take-off, flight phase, landing – Paschke fine-tuned many details and has now, at the age of 34, become a much more complete ski jumper.

In his sport, it’s the details that matter. Not only is the distance of the jump measured, the flight posture and landing are also taken into account in the judges’ overall grade. When Paschke, who is 1.75 meters tall and weighs 54 kilograms, stands in the air on skis, details are crucial.

This goes beyond physical performance. Ski jumpers also have to deliver mentally and be at the top of their game. He doesn’t really need the nervousness that Paschke has shown at one time or another in the past. That’s why the 34-year-old now works with a mental coach, a measure that has helped him.

Pius Paschke is admired for always continuing despite ups and downs. “He is a very reflective person, he had to work hard for a lot. It wasn’t a career that only went uphill,” teammate Andreas Wellinger recently said about him.

With his recent outstanding form, Pius Paschke revived his dreams of the first German overall tour victory since Sven Hannawald in 2002. Whether the 34-year-old can cope with the latest setback from Engelberg remains to be seen in Oberstdorf. He could be trusted.