Austrians Dominate the Four Hills Tournament. Poles in the Shadow of the Best

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the qualifications for the New Year's competition of the 73rd Four Hills Tournament are set to take place. The first event in this prestigious series, held on Sunday in Oberstdorf, was won by Austrian Stefan Kraft. The best Polish contender, Paweł Wąsek, finished in tenth place, while Austria's dominance was further cemented with Jan Hoerl and Daniel Tschofenig finishing on the podium.

Stefan Kraft, the last Austrian to win the Four Hills Tournament in the 2014/15 season, triumphed again in Oberstdorf. He noted, "This was perfect timing. I delivered my two best jumps of the season at just the right moment," explaining that he had achieved one win this season.

In the Gold Eagle competition for the best athlete, Kraft currently holds a 3.5-point lead over Hoerl and 11.5 points over Tschofenig. Pius Paschke, the current leader, trails Kraft by 13.8 points. Kraft indicated, "We approach this a bit like a team competition. There are three of us, so one of us may succeed. That’s our big dream and wish."

As for the Polish jumpers, they continue to be overshadowed by the top competitors. Besides Wąsek, only Jakub Wolny made the final "30," while Aleksander Zniszczoł and Piotr Żyła were eliminated after the first round, and Dawid Kubacki did not make it into the competition at all. Kubacki remains the official record holder at the Grosse Olympiaschanze with a jump of 144 meters, a record he equaled with Andreas Wellinger.

Kubacki is also the second and last Polish winner of the New Year's competition, having triumphed in 2021. Three years prior, Kamil Stoch won but did not participate in TCS this year. The qualifications for TCS hold particular significance, as they determine the matchups for the competitors who will advance to the finals. The final will include 25 matchup winners along with five top-placed jumpers among those who lost, known as "lucky losers."

The qualifications on Tuesday will commence at 1:30 PM, with the competition starting half an hour later. Austrians have not secured a New Year's victory since 2014, when Thomas Diethart won, and Germans have not since 2002, marking the last win by Sven Hannawald.