Announcement after the World Championship opener

DSV eagles: “When we were trampled on …”

Karl Geiger has dealt out a number of jabs at critics.

(Bild: GEPA)

Germany's men's ski jumpers have had to put up with a lot of criticism this season and have therefore also addressed their critics after winning silver at the start of the World Championships. "When we were trampled underfoot, I said: don't write us off," explains Karl Geiger, for example, and now sees himself vindicated. Silver medal winner Andreas Wellinger's relief is palpable: "It's a relief for the whole team," he concludes.

At the beginning of the season, the Germans were still celebrating Pius Paschke's successes. But with his - still astonishing - sporting downfall, that of his team also began. The Four Hills Tournament turned from the hoped-for triumphal procession into a funeral march from hill to hill. Things didn't get any better for the DSV eagles afterwards either. The criticism of the team and coach Stefan Horngacher became louder and louder.

This has left its mark! Because after the Germans seem to be experiencing a renaissance at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim of all places, the ski jumpers are not holding back from taking a few jabs at their critics. Andreas Wellinger took silver on the normal hill on Sunday. Karl Geiger came fourth - a strong team result. "When we were trampled underfoot, I said: Don't write us off. You should never do that, because we have good quality in the team," Geiger clarified afterwards.

Backing for the coaching team
Team-mate Wellinger added: "We've had two extremely tough months recently. So this is a very, very nice silver medal." And he hopes for further success in Trondheim: "And I'm sure that we can also fly far on the large hill."

Stefan Horngacher

(Bild: GEPA)

Meanwhile, coach Horngacher spoke of a "stone that has fallen from the team" and praised his athletes: "We've tried so much recently and tried not to let ourselves get carried away. The fact that it worked out like this is of course top class. Ski jumping goes up quickly and down quickly - thank God. We drew the right conclusions from the collapse."

It was Geiger who finally took up the cudgels for the Austrian and his colleagues: "I have to defend the coaches. They are doing a very, very good job. They have all tried to keep calm. And it's no walk in the park when you're getting a battering from all sides," he added with a final tip.