[ad_1]
After finishing sixth for Stefan Kraft as the best Austrian at the start of the Four Hills Tournament, the ÖSV team is aiming for the podium at the New Years competition on Friday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (2 pm / ORF 1 live). In the standings, Kraft was fourth behind Slovenian Anze Lanisek, Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud and German Markus Eisenbichler, just 2.5 points from first place. All Austrians reached the top 50 knockout matches.
Michael Hayböck landed in 12th place, Daniel Huber in 15, Philipp Aschenwald in 23, Markus Schiffner in 28, Jan Hörl in 41 and Thomas Lackner in 46. The first round of the second circuit competition brings the duel ÖSV Schiffner against Aschenwald, Huber wins to do with Ziga Jelar (SLO), Hayböck with Piotr Zyla (POL), Hörl with Johann Andre Forfang (NOR), Lackner with Oberstdorf winner Karl Geiger (GER) and Kraft with Aleksander Zniszczol.
“Of course you look at the opponent in the duel, that’s exciting. But you have to focus on yourself,” Kraft said. “It was a lot of fun today, it was a great qualifying, right behind the first. I felt really good, I finished well last year.” The New Year will be calm and quiet due to the corona pandemic, you definitely want to put your back problems behind you.
The 27-year-old hides them as best as possible when he makes the leap. “But I have to be careful. I came up with a good plan, but I have no guarantee that he won’t come back unexpectedly.” The relationship with the Olympic hill is also rich in conflict. In itself, it suits you. “It was always more of a mental or muscular story that I had always struggled a bit over the last few years due to the stress at the beginning in Oberstdorf.” Ranks 13 (2020), 49 and 31 are from the last three years. In 2017, however, he finished third on New Years Day.
Even after the second competition in Germany and before continuing in Austria, the Salzburg native wants to be among the top of the overall standings. “At Oberstdorf it is always important that the view to the front is not too far. At 17 points from six jumps is fine, although that is not that important to me. I just want to jump to the front again at Garmisch.”
Last year’s winner, Lindvik, is not at the start.
His teammate Hayböck had missed the final of the top 30 in Oberstdorf, by the end of the year he was the second best Austrian in the standings and was in better spirits again. “After the tough competition, the day off was not so good for me, it was a start you wouldn’t want. But here at Garmisch I found it good, it’s a conciliatory end of the year.”
Aschenwald was second in the rankings last year, then 25. “Unfortunately, the first round of qualifying was in my pants last year. The second was tense,” he recalled. Maybe I’ll do it the other way around this time, as I was only 23 in qualifying.
Last year’s winner, Marius Lindvik, who traveled to a doctor in Innsbruck due to a severe toothache, was not at the start. The Norwegian finished third in the opening competition and is now just a spectator for now. Russian Danil Sadrejew tested positive for Covid-19 and was not present either. (apa)
