Last year, Gregor Deschwanden slowed down at the Four Hills Tournament after a good start to the season. This time, the number 5 in the overall World Cup will pull through, coach Martin Künzle is convinced.
28.12.2024, 04:30
28.12.2024, 07:59
SDA
"Gregor is more stable this year," emphasizes Künzle, who has been under contract with Swiss-Ski for decades and has known the 33-year-old Deschwanden since his first flights as a ski jumper. "A year ago it was ups and downs, this time he's always at the front." The results of this season confirm this statement: ten jumps, always in the top 11, three podium places, 5th place in the overall World Cup.
Künzle believes that this consistency will save Deschwanden from a slump at the tour. A year ago, they often got off to a bad start in training and then just managed to find their tune for the competition. "This year, Gregor is at the front from the very first jump," says Künzle.
No Christmas break this time
The competition calendar with the Christmas break of just three days also speaks in Deschwanden's favor. "The normal competition rhythm runs up to and including the tour. That makes it easier to keep up the drive," says Künzle.
In the case of longer interruptions like last year, training blocks would be inserted to interrupt the flow. The seamless transition makes the task of the tour more difficult for those who are still searching for form. And those who are in shape don't even have time to think about it.
Künzle sees Deschwanden as an athlete who has worked his way up. This fact also speaks for consistency in the coming weeks. It was only last season that the button finally opened for the Lucerne native, who lives in Einsiedeln. "Physically, Gregor was always in top shape, the weight was no problem. Technically and in terms of coordination, however, he needed to mature," says Künzle, also mentioning the influence of head coach Rune Velta, who took over from Ronny Hornschuh in the summer of 2023.
During his active career, Velta was regarded as an aviator type - although he flew to World Championship gold from the normal hill in Falun in 2015. Both Künzle and Deschwanden say that the Norwegian was once again able to make his mark in the flying section. Thanks in part to sessions in the wind tunnel, Deschwanden now achieves a slightly higher speed in the flight phase. And this plus carries him the decisive few meters further down.
For this season, the FIS has introduced new, comprehensive regulations for jump suits. It's not just about the sizes, but also the number of suits, approval for the competition and much more. The effect: smaller nations with a small budget are at less of a disadvantage and there is also less scope for cheating. "The new regulations help us," emphasizes Künzle.
Cards are often reshuffled
Long Christmas break or short break, in form or not in form: A look at the statistics shows that the cards are often reshuffled at the Four Hills Tournament. There is a long list of favorites that die or upstarts that hardly anyone had on their radar. Künzle, who coached Simon Ammann in his second season and led him to double gold at the Olympics, knows this too.
Now, with Deschwanden, the Swiss team has a trump card in the run-up to the Four Hills Tournament that it hasn't had for a decade. Künzle is convinced that the Lucerne native will perform to the best of his ability. "We coaches have known for a long time that Gregor is a very good ski jumper," says Künzle. "But Gregor himself sometimes had problems believing it. Now he's seen since the start of the season that it's his turn. That's good for him."
Or as Deschwanden says: "Last year I was a bit overconfident. This year it's going well and I don't want to question too much why it's going well." Of course everyone dreams of winning the tour, says the athlete, but immediately defuses the statement again: "As number 5, I'm an outsider."
