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Karl Geiger and Markus Eisenbichler roared with joy. The German duo marked the first day of the World Ski Flying Championships in Planica, Slovenia, with excellent performances and is promising in first and third place ahead of Saturday’s individual final (4pm / ZDF and Eurosport). The Allgäu fiddler, whose wife is pregnant with the couple’s first child at home, surprisingly leads after flights at 241 and 223.5 meters. “That was amazing,” Geiger exclaimed happily. Eisenbichler spontaneously commented at the race: “Geiger is ahead, yeah!”
Geiger, who was not one of the big favorites, said: “I’m a bit surprised. I am very happy to be able to keep up. I did not expect to be in the lead ”. The 27-year-old had stopped at the World Cup in Russia last weekend to be with his wife. Now you are back on board, even if the offspring have not yet been born.
After two of a total of four flights in Planica, only Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud (221 and 229.5 meters) is between Geiger and Eisenbichler. The distances are in the range of a few meters, so everything seems possible on Saturday. “We jumped into a good starting position for tomorrow,” said national coach Stefan Horngacher. The first individual title in a world ski flying championship since Severin Freund 2014 seems to be within our grasp.
“That’s why I love ski jumping”
With his flight at 247 meters, Eisenbichler proved in the second jump that he had overcome the small impact of the fall of the test run. “This is why I love ski jumping. In the second I detonated a grenade, “said” Eisei. ” In the test, he reached into the snow after landing. Pius Paschke (11th) and Constantin Schmid (13th) are also heading for a decent result.
The Austrians, who are very affected by the Corona cases, also have hope for the second day in Michael Hayböck in fourth place. “I almost got a little weird,” Hayböck commented on his fabulous 245.5-meter flight in the first round.
Schlierenzauer struggles with the consequences of the crown
While flagship athlete Stefan Kraft left home with a bad back, World Cup record winner Gregor Schlierenzauer is still struggling with the consequences of his crown disease. “I am improving every day. Of course, only the sofa and the bed are not ideal as a preparation for skiing. But it is proven, ”said Tyrolean Schlierenzauer. In the ÖSV jumpers, not only eight athletes, but also coach Andreas Widhölzl tested positive.
Hayböck had already shone in Thursday’s qualifying, although he also returned fresh from the couch to the huge ski jump after a corona infection. The best jumper so far this winter, Daniel Huber, is absent due to the crown after testing positive at Nizhny Tagil last weekend.
