Ski jumper Philipp Raimund made a dream start to the 74th Four Hills Tournament with second place in the Oberstdorf qualification. The 25-year-old, with a jump of 132.5 m, had to concede only to top favorite Domen Prevc from Slovenia, raising hopes for the decision on Monday (4:30 PM in the LIVE TICKER).
“It was phenomenal. It’s wonderful to have so many people here. It just feels super nice. To then make good jumps is twice as cool,” Raimund enthused after his jump to the ARD microphone.
The German, who has already been on the podium four times this season, finished second in front of 15,500 fans at the Schattenberg, clearly behind world champion Prevc (139.5 m) but ahead of defending champion Daniel Tschofenig (Austria). It was almost enough for Germany’s third qualification win in Oberstdorf since 2000, a feat previously achieved only by Andreas Wellinger (2021) and Richard Freitag (2017).
Ski Jumping: Raimund’s Challenge to Prevc
Raimund was deeply impressed by qualification winner Prevc. “He is a flight phenomenon, you just have to say that. But I’m within striking distance,” said the 25-year-old, adopting a combative tone: “He was already eyeing the eagle earlier, but we won’t make it that easy for him.”
The second German hopeful, Felix Hoffmann, in contrast, left room for improvement as he finished twelfth. In the dress rehearsal in Engelberg, the high-flyer had landed on the podium twice.
The comeback for the ‘problem children’ Geiger and Andreas Wellinger ended mixed. Local hero Karl Geiger missed the competition on his home hill for the first time since 2013, finishing 53rd, while two-time Olympic champion Wellinger is at least participating after a decent jump to 39th place. The DSV duo had paused in the World Cup after weak results before the tour to work on their form.
Kobayashi only seventh – Kraft far behind
The top favorites experienced light and shadow: While Prevc, leading the overall World Cup, excelled, Ryoyu Kobayashi had to settle for seventh place. The Japanese can win the tour for the fourth time. Austrian Stefan Kraft did not get beyond 33rd place.
Overall, six of the nine DSV Eagles made it into the competition, with Pius Paschke (21st), Constantin Schmid (44th), and Luca Roth (46th) also qualifying. Besides Geiger, Ben Bayer (52nd) and debutant Max Unbelief (60th) were eliminated.