From Sunday, the best ski jumpers in the world will be competing for victory in the prestigious Four Hills Tournament. The most important questions and answers about the spectacle at the turn of the year.
29.12.2024, 04:30
29.12.2024, 08:12
SDA
Where will the jumping take place?
The first two competitions will take place in Germany, after which the entourage will travel on to Austria. After the opener in Oberstdorf on Sunday, the New Year's competition will take place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on January 1st. The athletes will then be challenged in Innsbruck (January 4) and finally on the ski jump in Bischofshofen (January 6).
How does the tour ranking work?
The Four Hills Tournament - including the qualifications - lasts ten days. The points from the four competitions are added together, the four jumps in the qualification do not count towards the ranking. Whoever has the most points at the end after eight competition jumps wins the overall tour ranking.
Are there rest days?
Rest days at the tour are usually travel days. This time, the athletes have December 30 and January 2 off. On the 30th, the tour entourage will travel from Oberstdorf to Garmisch. Three days later, the shortest tour route between Garmisch and Innsbruck has to be mastered.
Who are the favorites?
The German Pius Paschke has won five out of ten individual competitions this season. The wearer of the yellow jersey is therefore the top favorite on paper. However, Paschke, whose fantastic upswing this winter was not foreseeable, showed weaknesses last weekend in Engelberg. The second German hopeful is Andreas Wellinger. The Olympic champion also has the potential to become a tour champion.
Several Austrians are in top form. Jan Hörl, Daniel Tschofenig and Stefan Kraft are all to be reckoned with. Ryoyu Kobayashi has already won the top event three times. However, the Japanese tour expert is not yet in form this year. Gregor Deschwanden also belongs on the list of favorites. The man from Lucerne is jumping stronger than ever before and is currently fifth in the overall World Cup.
Who else is jumping for Switzerland?
Killian Peier has improved in recent weeks. The World Championship bronze medallist's goal is to reach the final round every time and thus complete eight ranked jumps. Simon Ammann and Felix Trunz have also been called up. They will have to deliver their best jumps in order to score World Cup points.
What does the winner get?
The overall winner receives the golden eagle. In addition to the trophy, the champion can also look forward to a prize of 100,000 Swiss francs. In addition, there is the usual FIS World Cup prize money for the individual competitions. These will be paid out to the top 30 athletes in each jumping event. Winning the qualifying round also brings 3000 francs.
Has there already been an overall winner from Switzerland?
No. Simon Ammann has stood on the podium four times, Walter Steiner twice and Hansjörg Sumi once. But none of them made it to the top step of the podium. Finland and Austria, on the other hand, have each won 16 times since 1953. While Finland has sunk into insignificance as a ski jumping nation, Austria now has the chance to become the sole record-breaking nation.
Why is there no tour for women?
The female ski jumpers have also wanted a tour for years. So far, it has only been enough for the so-called Two Nights Tour with competitions in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Oberstdorf on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. One sticking point on the way to a complete tour is the lack of floodlights in Innsbruck. However, this could be installed in the near future.