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Ryoyu Kobayashi triumphs in a thrilling New Year’s Day competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Japanese athlete narrowly edges out Markus Eisenbichler to claim the top spot. Karl Geiger faces a significant setback.
With impressive leaps of 143 and 135.5 meters, Ryoyu Kobayashi secured victory in the prestigious New Year’s competition of the Four Hills Tournament. The Japanese star amassed 291.2 points at the Olympic hill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Saturday, defeating Markus Eisenbichler (141 and 143.5 meters, 291 points) by a hair’s breadth. Lovro Kos from Slovenia claimed third place, achieving 286 points with jumps of 135.5 and 138 meters.
Kobayashi established a commanding lead in the initial round, laying the groundwork for his second triumph in the Four Hills Tournament’s second contest. He held a three-point advantage over Eisenbichler at the halfway mark, as the latter encountered difficulties, particularly in his first jump.
Eisenbichler omits the Telemark
In the concluding round, Eisenbichler showcased the day’s longest jump, falling just shy of the hill record, yet opted to forgo the telemark landing. However, Kobayashi responded with a shortened approach, securing victory by a razor-thin margin of 0.2 points.
“I’m feeling great on this hill. I decided against the telemark due to visibility concerns, but I’m extremely pleased with the outcome,” Eisenbichler stated afterward.
Karl Geiger’s wind struggles
Karl Geiger experienced a significant setback in the overall competition. Facing unfavorable wind conditions in both rounds, the athlete from Oberstdorf finished in seventh place with jumps of 130 and 127.5 meters.
“Frankly, I’m frustrated. The wind wasn’t in my favor, but I believe I could have performed better,” a visibly disappointed Geiger commented, now trailing Kobayashi by 32.3 points in the overall standings, holding sixth place. Eisenbichler, in fourth place, is now the closest pursuer to Kobayashi, 21.1 points behind.
Besides Eisenbichler and Geiger, Stephan Leyhe (10th), Constantin Schmid (20th), Andreas Wellinger (22nd), and Severin Freund (28th) added to the DSV ski jumping team’s World Cup points tally. Pius Paschke (31st), Justin Lisso (43rd), and Felix Hoffmann (46th) failed to advance to the final round.
