Ski Jumping – Wellinger Avoids Another Debacle

The German ski jumpers struggled throughout the latest World Cup round in Sapporo ahead of the Nordic World Ski Championships. Only Andreas Wellinger managed to break into the top ten. After posting a strong first round that had him in contention for a podium finish, Wellinger’s second jump – measuring 121.5 meters – was disappointing and dropped him to ninth place.

Stephan Leyhe and Felix Hoffmann finished 24th and 26th respectively, with Pius Paschke being eliminated after the first round and Adrian Tittel missing the second jump entirely.

The highlight of the competition was local favorite Ryoyu Kobayashi, who claimed victory with a strong final round. Despite trailing after the first round, he powered his way to overtake the half-time leader, Norwegian Marius Lindvik, who eventually settled for second place. Kobayashi’s teammate Johann Andre Forfang completed the podium, an outcome that left the typically dominant Austrians with disappointing finishes from fourth to seventh.

On the German side, there is little reason for optimism. With travel strains – after trips from Willingen to Lake Placid and then Sapporo – the team now turns its focus to preparing for the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim (February 27 to March 9), where previous World Cup results will not count. Meanwhile, Team Austria’s trio of Daniel Tschofenig, Jan Hörl, and Stefan Kraft are in an unassailable position at the top of the overall rankings.

Also noteworthy is veteran Japanese jumper Noriaki Kasai. Although the 52‐year‐old managed to survive the qualification and finish 45th, his effort underlines that the legendary ‘flying lizard’ is still eager to secure a ticket to the World Championships.

Finally, German jumpers Karl Geiger and Philipp Raimund have opted out of the Sapporo event in order to train in Oberstdorf, aiming to reach top form before the championships.