National coach Stefan Horngacher on the Oberstdorfer Schanze
Photo: imago/Sven Simon
What goal do you and your team have going into the 73rd Four Hills Tournament?
Of course we want to crack the tour – after such a long time, a German should finally be at the top again. Of course it is a challenge, but we have the chance and the opportunity to do it. With Pius Paschke and Andi Wellinger, I see at least two athletes who can win the thing, and maybe Karl Geiger or another ski jumper from our ranks will join them. It would of course be the luxury option if we had three athletes who could share the backpack of expectations. The expectations in Germany are high, so that helps. We’ve often been close, but so far someone has always come along and jumped a little better. Kobayashi alone twice.
Do you think your overall World Cup leader Pius Paschke can handle the pressure of being one of the favorites on the tour?
Last year it came as a surprise with the victory shortly before the tour. He wasn’t quite ready for the big task yet. This winter it looks completely different. He is mentally brutally strong and confident in himself. This also proves his strength in the final rounds. He now knows that he is one of the best ski jumpers in the world. At the last World Cup in Engelberg he was in poor health and wanted to force it. This doesn’t work. I told him that he can come fifth sometimes, he doesn’t always have to win.
Interview
Stefan Horngacher is in his sixth season as national coach of the German ski jumpers. In a conversation before the opening competition on Sunday (4.30 p.m./live on ZDF), the 55-year-old Austrian reveals how he assesses the chances this time.
First World Cup victory at 33, tour co-favorite at 34. How do you explain the late rise of Pius Paschke?
Something like Pius’s happened very rarely in ski jumping at that age. There have been athletes who make it at 26, but this late? The advantage: Pius is not worn out; he has gained a lot of experience on the long journey to the top that he can now use. It’s a labor victory. He never gave up and always believed in himself. You shouldn’t forget that he played an incredibly important role in the team’s World Cup win in 2021.
What else sets him apart besides his hard work and mentality?
Pius is a hard worker, but also has great talent. He is multi-sports – whether juggling or on the slackline. It just took him longer to exploit this talent in ski jumping. Pius is extremely reserved and down-to-earth. But also extremely smart – he knows exactly where he wants to go.
Andreas Wellinger was second at the Four Hills Tournament in the pre-winter. Is he some kind of secret favorite this time?
The starting position for him before the tour is really good. He hasn’t consistently jumped at the highest level yet, but he’s still at the top. He has already celebrated a victory and can work towards it in peace with the snow plow Pius in front of him. That also helps Andi Wellinger. He already has plans for the tour after coming second last winter. That gnawed at him. He is a very ambitious athlete, has analyzed everything carefully and has a very clear goal.
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And your third hopeful, Karl Geiger?
After last season, it is important for Karl to be in the top 10 again. But anyone who knows Karl knows that he is not happy with 10th place. He has reconnected with the world’s best, now we have to make sure that he continues to work in the same way. He loves the tournament’s opening competition in his home town of Oberstdorf, perhaps a strong performance there can give him the final push to the top.
Is this winter’s tour more important than the second highlight of the season, the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim?
The tour is always a highlight, almost above the World Cup. This is an incredible event, the biggest challenge there is in ski jumping for fans and the media. It would be important for ski jumping Germany to finally be at the top again. We not only wish for this and rely on the principle of hope, but we work hard on it. It cannot be prevented forever. That’s why we won’t give up until the last jump this time either.
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