“A home win that I’ve always dreamed of”
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Geiger wins at the start – Eisenbichler in fourth place
Karl Geiger won the start of the tour on his home hill in Oberstorf. Even world champion Markus Eisenbichler can still hope for the overall victory despite a weak first round.
As a little boy, Karl Geiger experienced the Four Hills Tournament as a flag child. Now the ski jumper himself triumphs in his home town and is suddenly the favorite for the overall victory. Can he withstand this pressure?
AEven without fireworks and 25,000 fans, Karl Geiger was completely happy. His ski jumping opening win at the 69th Four Hills Tournament was not only a relief for the German team, but also a relief for Geiger after his ten days of corona quarantine, which only ended at Christmas. “I’m really overwhelmed. It’s a bit of a fairy tale, you can’t even put it into words, ”said the happy winner, who left Poland’s Kamil Stoch and Norway’s Marius Lindvik behind after flights at 127 and 136.5 meters.
“As a little boy I stood down at the hill and admired the jumpers during the tour. At the 2005 World Cup, I was allowed to take part as a flag child, ”Geiger wrote on social networks. At that time it was also okay to “carry the flag from Kazakhstan, although of course you would have preferred the German one”. This time he did not carry a flag in the ski jumping stadium on the Schattenberg, which was empty due to the corona, but the silver winner’s cup. Geiger continues: “And now I’m standing here and winning in this stadium … at home! It is an indescribable feeling! A home win that I’ve always dreamed of. “
Before the New Year’s competition on Friday (2 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport), the team of national coach Stefan Horngacher now has two more hot candidates for the first overall tour victory since Sven Hannawald 2001/02. In addition to the winner of the day Geiger, who called the success in his hometown “a childhood dream”, Markus Eisenbichler (fifth) is also on course thanks to a 142-meter fabulous flight in the second round.
“At the moment Karl is floating on a very good wave”
“The aim is to start slowly and get stronger and stronger. We will continue to pursue that, ”said Horngacher, from whom a great load fell after the extremely successful start. It is “always fantastic” to start the Four Hills Spectacle with a victory.
The team result, which was very mixed behind the furious top duo, quickly became a minor matter when the ski flying world champion received his silver cup. As with the gold coup in Planica, the young family man Geiger came back from a two-week break, which did not harm him a bit. “When Karl is in his tunnel, he can call it up. At the moment he is floating on a very good wave and has a full grip on himself, ”said Horngacher.
In Geiger, Stoch, Lindvik, Yellow Bearer Halvor Egner Granerud and Eisenbichler, a quintet can now be counted among the closest favorites at the traditional event around the turn of the year. “There are some who really jump at a very high level. It’s always difficult to win. We have to see that Karl makes his good jumps, ”said Horngacher.
But nobody takes the Allgäu violinist from the emotional opening triumph in his homeland. “I’m very proud. It was a special day for me, ”said the 27 year old. With the flight world title from Planica, the birth of his daughter Luisa, a corona infection and now the following coup in Oberstdorf, Geiger has an eventful end of the year. On January 1, 2021, things can continue to be so turbulent for him.
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