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METERArkus Eisenbichler and Karl Geiger have yet to show their best performances at the start of the Four Hills Tournament, which is completely overlaid by the chaos of the Polish crown. World flying ski champion Geiger ranked 14th on Monday with heavy snowfall and shifting winds as the best German with a 114-meter jump, Eisenbichler even only came in 25th.
The 29-year-old had to wait a long time for his jump and was anything but satisfied with the organization at Allgäu. “It was kind of a children’s birthday party,” he said, giving as an example, “You had to wait forever in the elevator.” The Poles who were initially excluded on Monday around defending champion Dawid Kubacki would have liked to have such concerns. Austrian Philipp Aschenwald got the victory and with it 5000 euros in prize money.
Poland excluded
Unlike Eisenbichler, Geiger and Norway’s top seed Halvor Egner Granerud, other favorites had to bury their hopes first, even before the first jump into winter wonderland. Kubacki, Olympic champion Kamil Stoch and their Polish teammates were excluded from the start of the tour after a crown event in the team. Late in the afternoon, the FIS World Federation partially backed down and announced that Poland could start if another series of tests carried out after qualification were negative.
“We are very sorry for this decision, but to protect all other athletes, the health department had no choice,” Florian Stern, general secretary for jumping in Oberstdorf, said in the afternoon. Pole Klemens Muranka had previously tested positive for the virus. On Monday night, when the 26-year-old suddenly got a second and this time negative, the chaos was perfect. The Polish Association urged to be able to start on the Schattenbergschanze on Tuesday (4.30pm on the FAZ live ticker for the Four Hills Tournament and on ZDF) despite all the disputes. The chances of this weren’t bad after the inflection point by the Fis and only depended on another series of tests.
Muranka’s teammates tested negative
The tests of Muranka’s teammates were negative from the start, but they were in close contact with the 26-year-old and therefore had to be quarantined. The exclusion was, before the Fis questioned him again, initially only for the start of the tour. In the fight for the golden eagle for the overall winner, however, the failure of an entire competition could not be compensated.
He is sorry for his former protégés, said former Polish and now German coach Stefan Horngacher. Of his own team he said: “We remain optimistic. We have our concept of security and it works. “
The possible exclusion would affect not only Kubacki, Stoch & Co, but the entire ski jump strongly. In sport, in which only a few athletes from a few nations achieve victory against each other, the failure of two favorite partners is a severe blow. In the last twelve years, the winners of the tour came from only four countries, Poland triumphed three times.
“A pretty difficult game”
Germany’s second choice, Geiger, who himself came back from quarantine just in time after an infection, was not entirely satisfied with his result, but also didn’t want to complain. “It was a tough match,” said the 27-year-old local hero, referring to the weather. “I’m glad to be there again.” In sporting terms, the ranking was of little value to athletes due to very different conditions.
In the first competition of 2020/21 on Tuesday, nine other athletes from the German team in addition to Eisenbichler and Geiger will be in the elimination duels of the top 50 jumpers, but only 55 athletes participated in the classification. If Poland is allowed to leave, all 62 jump shots present will participate. Then the eliminatory duels would not take place.
In total, the 760 tests carried out during the last days around the tour yielded four positive results. A physiotherapist from the German team tested positive. He has already left and, according to the association, he had no contact with the jumpers. An assistant to the organizers and a member of an international television station also tested positive.
