The most important questions and answers about the upcoming ski jumping World Cup winter.
Who is starting for the Swiss team in the World Cup winter?
Gregor Deschwanden will lead the Swiss team this weekend in Lillehammer. The Lucerne native is currently the number 1 ahead of Killian Peier from Vaud. Of the junior athletes, Felix Trunz from St. Gallen is traveling north and Simon Ammann has also made it onto the World Cup team following internal eliminations. In the women's World Cup, however, which also starts in Lillehammer, the Swiss colors are missing.
What results are they aiming for?
Gregor Deschwanden is still hoping for his first World Cup victory. Last winter he came closer than ever before. Nine top ten placings, including second and third place in Klingenthal and Willingen respectively, testify to his potential. Peier, the 2019 World Championship bronze medallist, is close to Deschwanden again, according to the team. Ammann and Trunz can call it a successful start if they collect World Cup points. These will be distributed among the 30 participants in the final round.
What are the highlights of the season?
The calendar is packed again. The men will be jumping right through to the end of March at the final in Planica, including stops in the USA and Japan. Engelberg welcomes the men's and women's teams on the weekend before Christmas. The world champions will be crowned in Trondheim this winter, with the men competing in the Four Hills Tournament at the turn of the year and the women having to make do with the Two Nights Tour in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf. The women also take off from a ski flying hill in Vikersund.
What changes have been made to the suits?
The jump suits are now fitted with a control chip. This means that no longer any number of suits can be used in the World Cup, but only ten. This not only makes the whole thing more sustainable, but also fairer. Every suit is now measured for body size and you can no longer speculate on not being checked.
Other changes?
Telemark landings will be weighted more heavily again by penalizing parallel landings with higher point deductions. Three points can now be deducted instead of just two. In the worst case scenario, a jumper will lose up to nine points after the five judges have dropped their highest and worst scores, whereas previously it was only six. That's a difference of three points, which equates to around 5.5 m per jump.
Who are the favorites?
Stefan Kraft is the overall winner of the previous season in the World Cup, while Ryoyu Kobayashi is the overall winner of the Four Hills Tournament. The Austrian and the Japanese are listed by the bookmakers as number 1 and 2 for the coming season. However, if Timi Zajc from Slovenia on the large hill and Piotr Zyla from Poland on the normal hill successfully defend their World Championship titles, it would be a big surprise.
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