Karl Geiger confirmed that national coach Stefan Horngacher nominated him for the Ski Flying World Championship in Oberstdorf. The DSV eagle mastered the qualification without problems.
Karl Geiger made a small statement on Thursday evening. The DSV eagle was the best German in the qualification for the Ski Flying World Championship in Oberstdorf.
Geiger jumped a distance of 210.5 meters, received 194.5 points, and ultimately landed in tenth place. “It’s really special for me,” the 32-year-old confessed afterwards on ARD .
DSV eagle Karl Geiger masters the Ski Flying World Championship qualification
He added: “The whole season, the last few weeks have been so hard and so tough, and actually, I always just got criticized. Last weekend, something started to loosen up, and I’m just incredibly grateful that I get to start here in front of a home crowd and slowly get back into form.”
National coach Stefan Horngacher only decided on his four-man team for the World Championship shortly before the qualification and somewhat surprisingly opted for Geiger instead of Andreas Wellinger.
Violinist Trained Without Pressure
In training, Geiger felt no greater pressure than before: “I was relatively free because I’ve ‘eaten enough dirt’ [an idiom for experiencing hardship/failures]. I could go in pretty relaxed. My first jump in the practice was quite unsuccessful, but I managed to do better afterwards. It was really fun, it felt good in the air, and that’s what I want to take with me.”
Geiger explained that he had completely overhauled his jump, initially noticing progress at the World Cup in Wisla, but then suffering setbacks again during the Four Hills Tournament.
All DSV Eagles Survive Qualification
“You’re often struggling with yourself then. But I found my way back, and slowly it’s starting to bear fruit. I’m proud that I showed patience,” Geiger concluded.
His three teammates Philipp Raimund (15th place), Felix Hoffmann (26th), and Pius Paschke (28th) also survived the qualification for the competition of the top 40 flyers, which begins on Friday.