FElix Hoffmann was irritated. He had just found out that the second-placed Slovenian Timi Zajc had been disqualified from the opening competition in Oberstdorf after his second jump and shortly before the award ceremony. Because of a suit that was three millimeters too short, as chief inspector Mathias Hafele later explained. Hoffmann just thought in the run-out of the jump: “What’s going on now? Then I quickly dug out my start number again, put it on and was fortunately allowed to be on the podium with me at the award ceremony.”
This is how you can be taken by surprise after the greatest success of your career in a competition at the Four Hills Tournament.
:“Every ski jumper is only allowed to jump in previously tested suits”
Since the Norwegian manipulation scandal, the ski jumpers’ suits have been in focus. The expert Christian Winkler explains step by step what is important about this important piece of material – and how an inspection works.
Hoffmann jumped 132.5 and 136 meters into the sea of German flags on the Schattenbergschanze in front of 25,500 spectators, which initially meant fourth place behind the outstanding Domen Prevc, Zajc and last year’s tour winner Daniel Tschofenig. But around 30 minutes later, Hafele confirmed Zajc’s disqualification. The stricter and more precise measurements since the suit scandal at the World Cup in Trondheim have met with general approval, including in Oberstdorf: “You can see that no one is spared. If something doesn’t fit, then it doesn’t fit,” said national coach Stefan Horngacher. The Slovenians had no choice but to accept the decision. “It was remeasured several times, now we no longer have a chance. Unfortunately we have to accept that,” said head coach Robert Hrgota: “I’m sorry for Timi. He had finally found his form.”
At the beginning of November, Hoffmann suddenly became German champion, ahead of Philipp Raimund and Pius Paschke
Hoffmann, the 28-year-old late starter from the Goldlauter-Heidersbach ski and hiking club in Suhl, is also in great shape. In the Olympic winter of all times, he is jumping better than ever in his life – and now in Oberstdorf he is also benefiting from the competition’s sloppiness in terms of material.
This 1.70 meter short, light jumper was barely visible before his good World Cup performances at the end of November and December. The federal police officer, whose style and physique are somewhat reminiscent of the former ski jumping flea Jens Weißflog, has been jumping since he joined the World Cup nine years ago, but he was never actually at the front. Rather, he switched back and forth between the World Cup and the second-tier Continental Cup. So far, he has also attracted little attention at the Four Hills Tournament. Until Hoffmann suddenly became German champion at the beginning of November, ahead of Philipp Raimund and Pius Paschke. “At times things went quite well, which showed you: Hey, there’s actually more that can be done. But the consistency, the last step, wasn’t there yet,” says Hoffmann.
Felix is a quiet, introverted guy. It’s almost always the same. You’ll need a magnifying glass so you can look into it.
National coach Stefan Horngacher
In 2017 he moved from his home to Lake Chiemsee, to the Federal Police’s sports support group in Rosenheim – and to the training group around Paschke and Andreas Wellinger, who were disappointing at the start of the tour in Oberstdorf. There are no suitable ski jumps in the immediate area, but Innsbruck, Bischofshofen, Oberstdorf or Stams are not too far away. “I think he learned a lot about the two professionals, how they trained, what they said, etc. And he pulled himself up cleanly,” says national coach Horngacher: “He did all the homework that we gave him. He can ski jump, we always knew that.”
Unlike the extroverted Raimund, who is only just behind the podium in fifth place in Oberstdorf, Hoffmann is more of a quiet, reserved representative of his craft. Someone who smiles politely but doesn’t reveal much about themselves in public. Before Christmas at the World Cup in Engelberg, Hoffmann answered the always difficult question of how he assessed himself: “I’m not so extroverted that I approach people and seek conversation. I also like to listen, process it and think about what do I say now or do I just say nothing and leave it like that.” Even if this sometimes seems inhibited: “I actually try to take things well.”
Horngacher, who has experienced and shaped the entire range of ski jumping characters in his long coaching life, has to smile when he is asked to characterize Hoffmann: “Felix is a quiet, introverted guy. He doesn’t say much. He doesn’t get annoyed that badly either. He’s almost always the same. You need a magnifying glass so you can look into him.” But maybe it’s good to equip yourself with a slightly smiling poker face that no one can be angry with during these tour days when many eyes are on the ski jumpers.
Hoffmann was a little relieved after his two competitions in Oberstdorf. Which, if you look with a magnifying glass, was a sign that he must have been very tense. It’s not like he’s often jumped off the beam as one of the favorites in front of such a backdrop. Basically, he’s never had this role in his career. But he finds his way around surprisingly well. Also because, despite all his modesty, he knows exactly what he is capable of achieving. Now that, at the age of 28, he has taken the final step into the world’s best.
On Tuesday, Hoffmann, Raimund as well as the rather devastated Paschke, Wellinger and Karl Geiger, who failed in the qualification, did another strength training session in Oberstdorf. Then the entourage set off for Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the direction of the New Year’s jump. As part of a five-man chasing group for the high-flyer Prevc, Hoffmann and Raimund are separated by just under a meter. And it has been a long time since two Germans were united in the fight for the podium. “It’s just nice to have a teammate there,” said Raimund. “If there is someone there who you know well and with whom you get along well, it gives you another positive feeling,” added Hoffmann. The ski jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen suits Hoffmann and Raimund better than the one in Oberstdorf, as Horngacher emphasized: “You can now jump up freely and actually have no pressure anymore.” If the wind doesn’t thwart your plans – it’s supposed to be stormy on New Year’s Day.
