The Austrian Stefan Kraft also won the second World Cup ski jumping event and once again defied the strong German team. Kraft jumped 148.5 meters twice on Sunday in Ruka, Finland and, as in the first competition, clearly distanced himself from all of the competition. The podium behind Kraft was completed in the bitter cold by Austria’s Jan Hörl (144.5 and 145 meters) and the German Andreas Wellinger (143.5 and 146 meters).
From a German perspective, Pius Paschke in fourth and Stephan Leyhe in fifth were also strong. At the start on Saturday, national coach Stefan Horngacher’s protégés Paschke, Leyhe and Wellinger took second to fourth place.
Premiere for “Grandpa”
Above all, Paschke’s podium debut at an advanced ski jumping age was completely unexpected. “The fact that I’m 33 and I’m getting my first podium is of course all the more awesome,” said the veteran. Never before has a ski jumper been older for his first podium finish, and the Upper Bavarian is now one of the ten oldest jumpers on a podium. “If grandpa also hits – all the better,” said former ski jumping star and current ARD expert Sven Hannawald.
Without strength, the DSV Eagles would have even secured an all-German podium on Saturday. This has only happened in the history of the World Cup on December 15, 1990 in Sapporo by Andre Kiesewetter, Dieter Thoma and Josef Heumann.
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The German team is currently so strong that former world champion Markus Eisenbichler was not given a place in the squad for the start of the World Cup. On the way to the traditionally important Four Hills Tournament, stops in Lillehammer, Klingenthal and Engelberg (Switzerland) await the ski jumpers.
