Vierschanzentournee - Eisenbichler and Leyhe withdrawn for Innsbruck jumping

Vierschanzentournee - Eisenbichler and Leyhe withdrawn for Innsbruck jumping

The six-time ski jumping world champion Markus Eisenbichler's participation in the Vierschanzentournee has come to an early end. After a disappointing performance at the New Year’s jumping in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where he finished 32nd without collecting any World Cup points, Eisenbichler has been left out of the lineup for the next event in Innsbruck.

According to coach Stefan Horngacher, who presented the team line-up in the team hotel in Lans, Eisenbichler was not selected, and rather Felix Hoffmann has been included in the team to replace fellow jumper Stephan Leyhe. Leyhe also exhibited underwhelming performances in both Garmisch-Partenkirchen (36th) and Oberstdorf (48th), failing to advance beyond the first round.

"After yesterday's competition, we decided that Leyhe would step out and Hoffmann would take his place due to his performance in the previous events," stated Horngacher.

Hoffmann had shown promising form, finishing 25th at the last competition. The omission of Eisenbichler marks another significant setback for him, especially since he won a gold medal at the Bergisel in Innsbruck six years ago during his peak, and it is not only a loss for him but also for his fans who expected a strong comeback.

In addition to the established athletes Pius Paschke, Karl Geiger, Andreas Wellinger, and Adrian Tittel, Philipp Raimund and Hoffmann will travel to Tyrol for the upcoming competition scheduled for Saturday.

This recent turn of events draws attention away from Eisenbichler's past achievements and reflects the competitive nature of the sport, where performance is key to maintaining one’s position on top of the leaderboard.