Winter sports
“Totally sick”: ski jumper happy about the end of the tour
One is sick, another has a knee problem: Germany’s ski jumping hopefuls are leaving the Four Hills Tournament damaged. A duo with poor form should stay in the team for the time being.
Philipp Raimund was totally weak, Felix Hoffmann’s knee was pinching: Germany’s ski jumping hopefuls were happy when the 74th Four Hills Tournament was over. “I just felt like shit. I got really sick. I was still able to perform at a high level,” said the ailing Raimund after jumping in the icy cold in Bischofshofen.
National coach Stefan Horngacher described the scene before the competition as follows: “In the hall he was still lying on the mat and was almost collapsing. He really wanted to jump and did quite well.”
Hoffmann is supposed to have an MRI scan. The left knee is affected, in which the best German repeatedly felt “stinging pain”. Hoffmann finished the tour in sixth place overall, Raimund in eighth place.
Wellinger is said to be taking a break in Japan
The five tour riders around Raimund and Hoffmann will be there for the coming World Cup weekend in Zakopane. The veterans Pius Paschke, Andreas Wellinger and Karl Geiger weakened throughout the entire tour and have to get going quickly because the Ski Flying World Championships are coming up in Oberstdorf in two and a half weeks.
Paschke and Wellinger will probably forego the following Japan weekend in Sapporo. Instead, they should train at home. This does not apply to violinists. “Karl wants to go there, he has to qualify for the Olympics at some point,” said Horngacher. To do this, Geiger has to achieve either a place in the top eight or two top 15 places.
dpa
