Philipp Raimund jumps into the top ten of the overall ranking at the Four Hills Tournament. After the tournament, he reveals his illness.
With his charismatic manner, he also thrilled many ski jumping fans, and his athletic performance appears in a completely different light after the 25-year-old’s confession. He entered the competition extremely weakened due to illness.
Philipp Raimund fought with an illness at the tournament
“Actually, I started with only 75 percent of my strength,” Raimund said about his health on ARD : “I was already sick at the beginning, then got sick again in Garmisch after New Year’s Eve. On the first day here I felt great, but this morning it really knocked me out.”
Raimund added: “I would say I’m at about 30 percent. I feel absolutely crappy, to be honest.”
Four Hills Tournament: Hannawald impressed by Raimund
The fact that Raimund achieved a strong result with twelfth place despite his illness also impressed ARD expert Sven Hannawald: “What he showed today with 30 percent was sensational.”
And the 25-year-old Raimund was also quite satisfied with what he had achieved: “Even though I’m sick, getting into the top twelve is really okay.”
Afterward, Raimund became thoughtful. Had he remained healthy throughout the tournament, he would have dared to do much more.
“I think I could have mixed in a bit more and perhaps jumped for the podium,” said Raimund, who then became conciliatory: “But eighth place in the overall ranking was still my best tournament. I’ll take that with me.”