Ski Jumping - German Mixed Team Takes Off

Ski Jumping - German Mixed Team Takes Off

The German ski jumping team made a successful start to the World Cup winter. The team, including Selina Freitag, Andreas Wellinger, Katharina Schmid, and Pius Paschke, surprisingly won against Norway and Austria without much difficulty. Initially, there were some issues with distance measurement, but these were ultimately not significant.

The German Ski Association (DSV) relied on the four athletes who had previously won the Summer Grand Prix in Klingenthal. Selina Freitag, who switched skis during the summer, opened for Germany with a solid jump of 128.5 meters on the Lysgårdsbakken, putting Germany in an initial lead.

Andreas Wellinger, who was the top German jumper last winter, struggled a bit, achieving only 122.5 meters despite having better conditions. "I often find it hard here," Wellinger admitted in an interview. After the first two jumpers, Germany fell to third place behind Austria and Norway.

Freitag, Schmid, and Paschke Strong

Then, it was up to Katharina Schmid to save the day on her favorite hill, and she did so by jumping 129.5 meters. "It was really fun. I’m happy the jump went so well," beamed the 28-year-old. Schmid benefited from the recent rule changes that placed more emphasis on landing.

Pius Paschke’s impressive jump of 136.5 meters helped Germany secure its lead heading into the second round against Norway and Austria. However, Norway lodged a protest concerning a faulty video measurement for Anna Odine Stroem, which was later upheld, giving Norway a slight edge.

Given early performances, Germany maintained its lead into the second round, especially with Freitag (120 meters) leading off again and Wellinger also jumping back up to 125 meters. Katharina Schmid's continued strong performance with a jump of 129 meters signposted the victory, and Paschke secured it with a solid finish. In the end, Germany won comfortably with 1097.4 points ahead of Norway (1075.1) and Austria (1065.9).

Horngacher's Praise for Paschke

"The victory is naturally excellent," DSV's head coach Stephan Horngacher expressed after the competition and praised Pius Paschke's performance, calling it "/grandiose/." The entire team’s performance showcased a promising start to the season.

document.no Video

Watch the full video analysis of the mixed team jumping arriving in Lillehammer this new season.