Four Hills Tournament: Karl Geiger missed the day's victory in Bischofshofen - Ryoyu Kobayashi took overall victory

The Japanese ski jumper Ryoyu Kobayashi won the 70th Four Hills Tournament, but missed the historic second Grand Slam.

After three previous victories, the 25-year-old World Cup leader (133.5 m / 133.5 m / 277.8 points) on Epiphany in Bischofshofen was fifth in the victory of Austrian Daniel Huber to complete the tour after 2018/19 to win the record number of 1162.3 for the second time.

Kobayashi secured the Golden Eagle for the second time and can win the new record premium of 100,000 Swiss francs (approx. 96,700 euros) for the Overall victory after the jumping in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and twice in Bischofshofen (Innsbruck was canceled).

Ski jumping

Geiger just past the podium: Final result of the 70th Four Hills Tournament

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The Japanese earned a total of 147,300 Swiss francs (approx. 141,500 euros) with three daily and four qualifying wins – a decent salary after a total of eight exhausting days of competition since December 28th.

For the second time: Kobayashi receives the Golden Eagle

First World Cup victory for Huber – Geiger falls behind

“I am very happy about the Golden Eagle, but also a little sad that I did not win the Grand Slam,” said Kobayashi at Eurosport. With the overall victory, the 25-year-old underpinned the last season highlight before the Beijing Olympic Games (February 4th to 20th live on Eurosport) impressively played his role as a favorite.

Kobayashi was not granted victory in all four competitions – Daniel Huber, who was ninth overall, flew in the second competition in Bischofshofen on 136.5 and 137.0 meters (286.8 meters) and thus celebrated his first World Cup victory.

“Unbelievable, I have no words,” said the 29-year-old: “Winning my first World Cup at home is like a dream. It’s one of the best days of my life. Today everything came together. I’ve never had so much fun Ski jumping. “

Karl Geiger (140.5 m / 132.0 m / 281.9), who was in the lead after the first round, fell back to third in the final on Thursday and was fourth overall. “The second jump was not completely clean, it was too late, that annoyed me,” said Geiger Eurosport. He missed second place on the day by just 0.5 points.

Despite the overall ranking, Geiger draws four positive conclusions

After fifth place in Oberstdorf, seventh place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and fourth place in the first competition in Bischofshofen on Wednesday, Geiger at least got his first podium finish in the 70th Four Hills Tournament. “I am very satisfied,” said the man from Oberstdorf.

Even though he had traveled to the tour as the overall World Cup leader and thus a favorite, Geiger got involved Eurosport A positive conclusion: “It fits. It was a difficult tour from the start with quite a damper in between (Garmisch-Partenkirchen, editor’s note). It was just a matter of getting going again and I did well today. That’s why I’m satisfied. “

Tour finale in Bischofshofen: that’s what Geiger, Kobayashi and Co. say

Geiger took third place overall in the victory of Dawid Kubacki from Poland in 2019/20 and second overall in the third victory of Kamil Stoch (Poland) in 2020/21 – this time he missed the podium by 4.6 points.

“It’s always a bit bitter,” said national coach Stefan Horngacher on “ARD” about Geiger: “It’s going on, he presented himself very well. The tour didn’t go 100 percent as we wanted it to.”

Tour finale: Geiger shows his nerves, Huber cheers – Kobayashi triumphs

Eisenbichler struggles with the second jump

Markus Eisenbichler (133.0 m / 134.0 m / 275.2) took eighth place and was fifth in the overall standings – for the first time since 2016/17 there was no DSV eagle on the podium. In 2018/19, the Siegsdorf resident delivered his best tour with second place in Kobayashi’s first overall victory.

After 140.5 meters and second place in the qualification behind Kobayashi, the 30-year-old did not quite maintain the level in the competition. “I was extremely late, that really hurt,” said Eisenbichler Eurosport about his second jump: “I actually saw myself going at 125. The fact that I jump so far is nice, but it annoys you even more because you know that there was a lot in it. But I am myself guilty, “he added.

He couldn’t really make friends with fifth place on the tour: “Nobody cares. You have to be on the podium, that’s important. Unfortunately, we both, Karl and I, missed our chance today.” The German hopefuls have to wait 20 years after Sven Hannawald’s last tour victory.

Overall, they “did pretty well, but something was just missing a bit”. Eisenbichler jumped just 0.2 points behind Kobayashi just past the victory of the day in Garmisch-Partenkirchen – the best German individual result on the 2021/22 tour.

Lindvik and Granerud on the tour podium

The podium places two and three of the tour went to Marius Lindvik and Halvor Egner Granerud from Norway. Lindvik, already second in the 2020 tour, saved himself in Bischofshofen after a messed up first jump in tenth place (126.0 m / 139.0 m / 271.5) and thus kept the upper hand in front of Eisenbichler, Geiger and the day’s second Granerud ( 136.5 m / 136.0 m / 282.4).

“I’m glad that I even made it into the second round,” said Lindvik after intermediate 23rd: “I’m very happy with second place on the tour. Ryoyu was unbelievable, his win is well deserved.”

Constantin Schmid (Oberaudorf / 130.5 m / 130.0 m / 255.7) came 17th, Pius Paschke (Kiefersfelden / 130.5 m / 126.0 m / 245.1) came 23rd. Stephan Leyhe ( Willingen / 130.0 m / 125.5 m / 242.2) turned 25 one day after his 30th birthday and thus just missed the top ten in the overall ranking (11th).

“The fact that I managed all eight jumps is positive,” said Leyhe, who had completely missed the 2020/21 season due to a torn cruciate ligament and only returned to the World Cup this winter: “Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite my day today. A few meters are missing from the top ten. “

Severin Freund (46./121.5 m), who lost his duel against the reigning overall World Cup winner Granerud, and Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger (34./124.0 m), the large hill world champion Stefan Kraft by 0, were eliminated in the first round. Lost 2 points (both 124.0 m).

Slovenian Kos jumps 144 meters

Lovro Kos (Slovenia), meanwhile, convinced with the daily best distance of 144.0 meters in the second round – only one meter below the hill record held by Dawid Kubacki (Poland) since 2019 and the third-longest jump ever shown at the Four Hills Tournament.

144 meters! Kos succeeds in the third-second sentence in tour history

Manuel Fettner (Austria), sixth after the first round, fell on landing after jumping to 132.0 m.

Compared to Kobayashi, the DSV-Adler lacked consistency, perfect jumps and sometimes the necessary wind luck during the tour. Geiger stayed in striking distance in fifth place at the start in Oberstdorf, but lost decisive meters in Garmisch-Partenkirchen due to a tail wind.

Eisenbichler missed victory in the New Year’s jump by the tiny 0.2 points or the equivalent of eleven centimeters. Before that, however, the six-time world champion had weakened in seventh place in Oberstdorf.

20 years no German tour victory

The wind-related cancellation of the Bergisel Jumping in Innsbruck, which might have shaken up the overall ranking and was instead made up in Bischofshofen, which is more protected from the wind, did not help the German high-flyers on the “Dreischanzentournee” either.

So even 20 years after Hannawald, after the last six German podium finishes since 2016, the longed-for tour title has not been achieved.

In retrospect, Horngacher could still be satisfied with the performance of his team. Leyhe reported strongly after a cruciate ligament rupture, and team world champion Freund, who had previously jumped in the Continental Cup, and Olympic champion Wellinger, who took seventh place in the first Bischofshofen qualification, established themselves in the World Cup team with good results.

In any case, the DSV team will stay in Bischofshofen, with an individual and team competition on the Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze in Pongau already on the weekend.

Four Hills Tournament: final score

PLACE	NAME	POINTS
1.	R. Kobayashi (Japan)	1162,3
2.	M. Lindvik (Norway)	1138,1 (-24,2)
3.	HE Granerud (Norway)	1128,2 (-34,1)
4.	K. Geiger (Germany)	1123,6 (-38,7)
5.	Eisenbichler (Germany)	1117,6 (-44,7)
6.	R. Johansson (Norway)	1107,9 (-54,4)
7.	L. Kos (Slovenia)	1093,0 (-69,3)
8.	J. Hörl (Austria)	1075,7 (-86,6)
9.	D. Huber (Austria)	1069,9 (-92,4)
10.	Y. Sato (Japan)	1064,7 (-97,6)
11.	S. Leyhe (Germany)	1021,9 (- 140,4)