2024-01-04 13:13:00
Andreas Wellinger showed no signs of frustration or even disappointment despite losing the overall tour lead – on the contrary.
“Now I’m no longer the hunted, but the hunter. I will attack fully,” said the 28-year-old confidently following his fifth place at the Bergisel jumping in Innsbruck on Wednesday.
Kobayashi is “in fantastic shape, that’s no secret. He will also jump very well in Bischofshofen, the jump suits him,” said Eurosport expert Martin Schmitt: “He won’t collapse under the pressure because he’s a jumper, who doesn’t shy away from attention.”
However, the 27-year-old “did not outclass the field” this year. “So he’s definitely beatable,” said Schmitt. In addition, Kobayashi “won’t go for the day’s victory at any cost – he wants the gold eagle.”
Wellinger was already on the podium in Bischofshofen
It will therefore not be easy for Wellinger, whose third place in the 2018 edition is his best result in Bischofshofen, to make up the gap. The history of the tour shows how difficult this undertaking is.
Most recently, more than four points behind Innsbruck, Espen Bredesen took overall victory in 1993/94 ahead of Jens Weißflog. At that time, the Norwegian was even 12.2 points behind the final. In most cases, however, the leaders were able to bring victory to the finish.
Schmitt: The role of pursuer is an advantage for Wellinger
Schmitt nevertheless remained optimistic. For Wellinger, the former top jumper even recognized advantages from the result in Innsbruck and the loss of the overall lead. “He didn’t have to go to the press conference, didn’t have to answer so many questions and was able to say goodbye to the hill quicker than if he had landed on the podium,” explained Schmitt.
In addition, the German is now “in the attacker role” and has “nothing to lose, so he can attack. But he is still so close that the deficit doesn’t actually matter.”
Take a deep breath! Wellinger saves himself on Mount Doom
Bischofshofen like Wellinger’s “Heimschanze”
Although the Paul-Außerleitner-Schanze in Bischofshofen is located between Wellinger and Kobayashi, the DSV-Adler has a potentially decisive advantage, according to Schmitt. “What speaks for Andi is that he is extremely fast this year. He can exploit this speed advantage on the long, flat run-up to Bischofshofen,” said the Eurosport expert.
National coach Stefan Horngacher also said: “Bischofshofen is a bit of his home hill, where he trains a lot in the summer and jumps quite well. He has all the possibilities.”
Wellinger himself also remained confident despite the deficit: “That’s more or less nothing on the big ski jump in Bischofshofen.” He wants to “attack fully, that’s my motto: go down into the hole with confidence, land cleanly and then we’ll look at the results list and see what it says.”
Is Wellinger following in Hannawald’s footsteps? Schmitt optimistic
Or as Schmitt put it hopefully: “The golden eagle is coming to Germany.”
“Brutally difficult”: Schmitt analysis of the Lukenlotto in Innsbruck
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