The German ski jumpers have had a mixed start to the new season. In the SPORT1 interview, ski jumping icon Sven Hannawald assesses the situation of the Germans and explains why he no longer wants to have anything to do with the Norwegians.
World Cup, Four Hills Tournament and Olympic Games: This year there are plenty of highlights in ski jumping. At the start of the season, Felix Hoffmann and Philipp Raimund, two jumpers who have sometimes been in the shadows in recent years, impressed. In contrast, figurehead Andreas Wellinger is currently only lagging behind.
ARD ski jumping expert Sven Hannawald is very close to the action and, in an exclusive interview with SPORT1 , assesses the current situation of the German eagles in the Olympic season.
Sven Hannawald is still intensely concerned with the suit scandal
Hannawald also explains why the Four Hills Tournament was always more important to him than the Olympic Games, why the suit scandal still bothers him and why he has nothing more to say to the Norwegian perpetrators.
SPORT1: Mr. Hannawald, the new World Cup season has begun. The first weekend was marked by highs and lows for the German team, how do you rate the first weekend?
Sven Hannawald: Firstly, very positive with regard to the two players Felix Hoffmann and Philipp Raimund. Especially for Raimund it was a special task after winning the Summer Grand Prix, because he filled his backpack with expectations himself. You could also tell that he was under this pressure during the first jumps. He wanted to meet expectations and then went a little too boldly. Over the weekend he improved and showed with fourth place that he can jump far to the front. He has now found himself, is more relaxed and casual. Felix Hoffmann has remained steadily on his path after his surprising win at the German Championships. He already had a chance at the podium on Saturday, but was a little too excited because it was his first chance in his career. On Sunday he then confidently followed up on this and rewarded himself with the podium finish. The two are fun. Pius Paschke and Karl Geiger are somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, our previous figurehead, Andreas Wellinger, has the most problems and is extremely struggling.
Wellinger? “A little lost the feeling for the hill”
SPORT1: You already mentioned Wellinger, who experienced a weekend to forget. Are you worried about him?
Hannawald: It is now clear that there was a major turning point for him over the summer with the change in suits. Some jumpers, like Raimund and Hoffmann, fit in better with their usual jumping philosophy. For them it was simply too much material last season. That now fits them sensationally with a little less material. But there are also jumpers, like unfortunately Andreas Wellinger, who now have to completely readjust their jumping. You first had to reorganize yourself because the area ratios that you were used to have now shifted. You have to rethink the jump a bit. It is particularly difficult because of the start of the World Cup, because he has to feel his way around in the ongoing competition. Training would certainly be more effective, but he doesn’t have the time now. Nevertheless, the German team deliberately left Wellinger with the team and did not send him home, also because competitions on the small hill are now coming up, where everything is a little easier. He has currently lost a little bit of the feeling for the hill. Now he has to gradually feel his way to the new material.
SPORT1: The situation is completely different for Felix Hoffmann and Philipp Raimund. What do you think the two are capable of for the rest of the season?
Hannawald: The two fit perfectly with their jumping style to the new suits. Raimund wasn’t really the sensitive type, but he has now noticed that the violent approach doesn’t work and has changed over the summer. Felix Hoffmann has always been the sensitive one. For him, however, it seems that there was simply too much material with the old suits in retrospect. With so much material, it was simply possible in the past to jump brutally and without feeling forward. The suit with the large area caught everyone. This kept the sensitive jumpers in the background. Of course, they could have adjusted, but then they would have had to abandon their advantage that they had trained from an early age. Hoffmann remained true to himself. This season he is more effective because everyone has to adjust in this direction.
Ski jumping: Olympics? “For me, the tournament was always above everything”
SPORT1: There is a big highlight this winter with the Olympic Games. What can you expect from the German team? Can our jumpers compete for medals at the Olympics?
Hannawald: With the serious changes in the regulations, it is still too early to provide any prospects. If we had the same suits as last year, I could make clear statements based on my experience. But now it feels like playing the lottery. But I assume that Raimund and Hoffmann, who really fit super into this regulation, have chances.
SPORT1: From your experience – are the Olympic Games even that important for a ski jumper or are other competitions even more important?
Hannawald: For me, the Four Hills Tournament was always above everything, especially because it is not a daily success. You have to persevere for ten days. But the Olympics were also something very special. Especially with the first medal with the team in Nagano in 1998, but of course also Salt Lake City with the Olympic victory. The medals are heavier than at World Championships. You notice that when you get to hang them around your neck. But also the impressions that remain are special. For example, the opening ceremony, but also the surrounding area. Something like that is not everyday and does not exist at any World Championship. In addition, the Olympics only take place once every four years. It is a great moment and as an active person you hope that you will be in top form there at the latest so that you get neck pain because the medal is so heavy (laughs).
Sven Hannawald won silver at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City
SPORT1: You have won everything there is to win. What was the most special victory?
Hannawald: That is always clear to me, the tour. I have immortalized myself deep in the statistics, no matter what else happens. I was allowed to be the first to win all four jumps. The hope is that I will finally become a German successor. In the case of my tournament victory and as the first Grand Slam winner, I have set my status symbol for eternity. That’s why the tour is always the greatest for me. That was also a childhood dream. When I was sitting on the sofa with my dad as a little boy and saw the tour on TV for the first time, it was clear that I wanted to win that.
Hannawald: “That’s a total knee-jerk reaction for me”
SPORT1: The suit scandal from last year is still a topic. In the SPORT1 interview in March, you seemed very worked up about the topic. How much does the topic still occupy you?
Hannawald: It is still a small obstacle on my foot, because nothing has really happened in terms of the punishments. Of course they got a three-month sentence, but it was set in the summer (laughs mockingly). No one notices that. At the latest I would have done it so that the punishment is set for the winter. The punishment would only really have an effect if the Summer Grand Prix was included in the winter standings. The cheating happened in the winter, so you also have to set the punishment in the winter. In addition, Marius Lindvik is still the current world champion, which is also a total knee-jerk reaction for me. These are things that work in me. Unfortunately, the hope is dwindling that anything will move there. I can’t shake the feeling that people are now happy that the new season has started and that they can now put new stories about it. It was spectacular and super exciting on the first weekend, but the other thing will continue to work. And when I see the two candidates at the hill, I really have to pull myself together. I have to admit that.
SPORT1: You just mentioned that you might run into Lindvik, for example. Is there an ice age there or do you talk sometimes?
Hannawald: I don’t know what to talk to them about. The anger is so deep within me. I’m just concerned about how they deal with the situation. It would take away certain things if the two candidates would just admit: That was a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes in life, but then you also have to have the guts and say: That was crap of me and we are sorry. Why it went in this direction is irrelevant to me for the time being. I just want them to simply admit it and stand by it. Obviously they only stand by one thing: That they knew nothing about it. These are things that just upset me.
Jumpers have “no desire to talk to the Norwegians”
SPORT1: You said at the weekend that if you were in Lindvik’s position, you would give back the World Championship gold medal. Could the Norwegian perhaps restore his own credibility with such an action? After all, he still claims that he knew nothing about the manipulated suit.
Hannawald: Yes! We all agree on that and accordingly it is unfortunately in the room. Unfortunately, you can also tell that from all the jumpers. They actually have no desire to talk to the Norwegians. It’s just like that. And now the Norwegians are even starting to complain about other countries as the first nation. They want to have heard about a scandal with the Austrians. They need a basic wash so that they know where the front and back are again. I really don’t know what’s wrong with them, especially this obsessiveness. That was also shown last year with the suits. It also became clear at the start of the season that they had to change their jump to improve. But then to resort to such possibilities to make it work is bitter. That’s embarrassing and sad for our sport. But the fact that they are now the first to be messing around again and claiming that some nation is cheating is really the last straw. That also makes the entire situation worse. With the current behavior of the Norwegians, all the others who are still struggling with the consequences of last year’s scandal naturally have even less understanding of the situation.
Suit scandal: “A huge blow to ski jumping”
Suit scandal: “A huge blow to ski jumping”
SPORT1: You said in our interview in the spring that you were afraid that your beloved sport could have a credibility problem. Are you still worried about this?
Hannawald: We now have the opportunity, and you could see that on the first weekend, to straighten that out again. It is now also important for Mathias Hafele (Note: New supervisor for the acceptance of the suits), who really has a super grip on it. Now the handling of the regulations finally makes sense. You can then immediately see how exciting the competitions were at the weekend. The suits were already like that last year, nothing was changed to the basic rules. But the handling is different. Hafele has only changed the cut. This enables him to measure it for all athletes. That wasn’t possible last year. Then it got out of hand with the trickery and the controls were allowed to seep away. There were controls, but somehow not, because the suits changed dramatically visually. Accordingly, it is now important to maintain it consistently. Then we have the opportunity to make ski jumping what we all want it to be again.
Hannawald wants a German tournament successor
SPORT1: If I hear you correctly, you are very satisfied with how the rules are being interpreted this season?
Hannawald: I was actually satisfied at the beginning last year. But then I noticed that the suits were allowed to change over the season. Someone starts it and the others see that of course and then try it too. If you let go of the reins as a controller, you can close the shop right away. That would be like simply legalizing doping in other sports. That was completely wild. It needs rules, so that in the end no jumper flies 30 meters further than the others. The regulations also existed last season. But then the Slovenes and the Norwegians unfortunately came up with the idea of not changing the jump for a better result, but the material. Since they were not competitive before and suddenly stood at the top, it was clear to me that something had been changed. I hope that everyone has learned from this now and that the suits remain as they are. What we had to experience last year is a scandal and an audacity before the Lord. If only because they still don’t admit that they knew about it.
SPORT1: In conclusion – what do you want for the 2025/26 ski jumping season?
Hannawald: I want spectacular and exciting competitions. I hope that I will finally get my successor at the tournament, without wanting to build up the pressure again. But at the end of the day, the guys have to learn to deal with certain expectations and maybe even look forward to interviews. That is also an honor in a certain way. I naturally hope that Germany will also be allowed to take home one or two medals from the Olympic Games and that we will be allowed to hear our anthem once or twice. My fingers are definitely crossed.