Ski Jumping World Cup in Klingenthal: Home hill inspires German team

Even after the two jumps in Klingenthal, it can be said that the currently leading athletes are still a long way away. The Slovenian Nika Prevc and the Japanese Nozomi Maruyama also fought an impressive duel for victory on the Schwarzberg. After Maruyama triumphed on Friday, Prevc hit back on Saturday. Norway’s Anna Odine Stroem came third.

Although the Germans are currently more concerned with being among the best behind the two exceptional jumpers, Freitag left her home hill with a smile. The upward trend for the Saxon, who won two silver and one bronze at the World Championships in Trondheim this year, continues – despite the lack of a podium finish in the winter so far.

The German team was weak at the start of the season

“It was so much fun,” said Freitag about the massive support from the stadium. “I would have liked to have been on the podium, which would have raised the boat again, but I’m really happy with the direction and hope that our performance becomes more and more stable.”

The start of the season hadn’t gone quite as Friday had imagined, although she had been very happy with her summer. “I trained more in strength and endurance so that I could cope better with the long journeys between competitions, for example. I was able to adapt well to the changes in the suits.”

On Friday she initially came seventh after wobbling when landing after a long jump in the first round. At the first World Cup here since 2019, the mood was a little more subdued.

A good two weeks before the first highlight of the season, the Two-Nights Tour, which will then be replaced by a real Four Hills Tournament from next winter, head coach Heinz Kuttin still sees room for improvement. “Basically I’m very happy, but there are still a few points that we can do better.”

Katharina Schmid, for example, fell from seventh place to 12th place in the second round. “Anything is possible between third and twelfth place, with one small mistake you are behind,” said Kuttin. Juliane Seyfarth came 21st.

At the Olympic Games in February, the German team can expect good chances of winning medals, especially in the team and mixed competition. Especially against this background, the competitions in Klingenthal as a team were an important step forward.