German Ski Jumping Team Wins Mixed World Cup for the First Time

In Lillehammer, the quartet comprising Andreas Wellinger and Katharina Schmid soared to first place.

This marked the team's historic start to the ski jumping season, winning a mixed competition in the World Cup for the first time. The German team, anchored by two-time Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger and seven-time world champion Katharina Schmid, won convincingly, though some top stars were absent.

"This is fantastic as you never know where you stand at the beginning," said Bundestrainer Stefan Horngacher in an interview. "This is super, incredible, I did not expect this," celebrated expert and former jumper Sven Hannawald.

The German team, with Wellinger (Ruhpolding/122.5 + 125.0), Pius Paschke (Kiefersfelden/136.5 + 133.5), Schmid (129.5 + 129.0), and Selina Freitag (Aue/137.5 + 120.0), finished with a total of 1097.4 points, approximately twelve meters ahead of Norway (1075.1), with Austria in third place (1065.9).

Austria kept World Cup overall champion Stefan Kraft out of the competition, while Japan missed Vierschanzentournee winner Ryoyu Kobayashi.

Previously, in the seven mixed jumps since their World Cup debut in 2012, the German team had only reached the podium twice, finishing third in the most recent seasons. However, they have dominated in World Championships, winning five consecutive titles.

The mixed event at the Olympics in 2022 was disappointing for the team, ending in ninth place after Schmid's disqualification.

Individual competitions for women and men are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at 12:30 and 16:15.