The German ski jumping national coach Stefan Horngacher is removing five-time world champion Karl Geiger from the World Cup squad a good two weeks before the Four Hills Tournament. The 32-year-old will be replaced by Luca Roth, as the German Ski Association (DSV) announced with a view to the competitions at the home game in Klingenthal. “Karl will use the days to optimize his jumping technique together with coach Max Mechler,” said Horngacher. Geiger has had a difficult winter so far and has only scored World Cup points in two competitions this season. In Wisla, Poland, he had no chance at all and failed to qualify twice, finishing 56th and 54th. It remained unclear when Geiger could return to the World Cup.
Things are similarly modest for Andreas Wellinger. The 2018 Olympic champion had an outlier with seventh place in Ruka, Finland, but also recently jumped behind in Wisla. Unlike Geiger, the 30-year-old is there in Klingenthal. “Andreas Wellinger, who is not as far away as the results suggest, has completed training sessions in Ramsau with trainer Andreas Mitter over the last few days,” said Horngacher. Wellinger is looking forward to the ski jump in Klingenthal, added the head coach. Klingenthal is followed by Engelberg, and after the Christmas break the tour starts in Oberstdorf on December 29th.
