Andreas Wellinger: “A tour victory would top Olympic gold” | Sports mix

SPORT BILD: Mr. Wellinger, the ski jumping season begins in Lillehammer, Norway, at the weekend. After second place in the Four Hills Tournament and third place in the overall World Cup, is there still more possible for you this winter?Andreas Wellinger (29): The summer was bumpy. This was also due to back problems that made ski jumping difficult for me. But these have been overcome and my form curve is pointing upwards. In the last two months, the two parameters of quality and consistency in my jumps have increased. My performances at the Summer Grands Prix in Hinzenbach and Klingenthal as well as at the German Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen bode well. I am ready and want to contribute to bringing ski jumping into focus with good performances. The audience’s interest is enormous: the start of the tour in Oberstdorf was sold out after just a few days – I’m really looking forward to it.

How did you use the summer?

After the season I was in Sri Lanka, explored the country and its people, got to know a new culture, ate well and went surfing.

Isn’t that too dangerous?H? In 2020 you broke your collarbone while surfing off Australia…

I won’t miss out on surfing. When I’m out on the water alone with my board, I completely clear my head and forget everything around me. There is nothing better for me to actively switch off. I’m also used to being involved in a dangerous sport. Surfing, on the other hand, is harmless.

They were also at the Olympics in Paris. As a Winter Olympic champion, how did you like the Summer Games?

The DOSB invited me and organized tickets for athletics and boxing competitions. A great experience. 80,000 spectators in the athletics stadium are of course a completely different number than 25,000 in winter sports. A global metropolis like Paris also has a completely different flair than one or another winter sports resort.

Have you been recognized?

Yes. I could really see how people were asking themselves: What is Wellinger doing here?

Last winter you came close to winning the tour. What was missing to be at the top?

I performed really well. Oberstdorf, Garmisch, Innsbruck, everything went well. I was in a flow. I would have hoped for even more in Bischofshofen on my training hill. But at the end of the tour I was a bit lacking in strength. The training didn’t go well and I didn’t go into the competition feeling good. I couldn’t do better than 5th place. My energy level wasn’t up to par. And in the end I have to admit without envy that someone was better (Ryoyu Kobayashi; editor). What I want to do better in the future is to focus my energies better.

How do you want to do that?

During the tour, after the competitions, I still had to do an hour in the mixed zone before I finally got to the changing room. I’m not shying away from any interviews, but we’re working on effectiveness and want to offer more interviews in hotels this year, for example. The ten days of the tour are very intense with the jumps, the trappings and the travel strains.

Does Kobayashi have an advantage as a Japanese because there are fewer attacks on him?

That could be good. Thanks to the language barrier, Ryoyu saves a lot of time and energy.

What kind of guy is he?

He’s totally relaxed and just does his thing. It was significant how he forgot his skis on the last tour in Bischofshofen and then grabbed them while running so as not to miss his jump. Others would have become nervous, but that didn’t faze him either. When it matters, he’s there.

Kobayashi won the tour last year without an individual victory. Should the regulations be changed?

Then I would be the tour winner now (laughs). No, the current regulation with the added points is fair.

In the new season, the judges will judge the telemark landing more strictly. Does that suit you as an elegant aviator?

My jumps were rated very well at the summer competitions. I am convinced that I do a really strong telemark, even at long distances I don’t wobble. It has to stay that way.

The number of suits is also limited to one per competition and ten per season. How do you find that?

I think the basic idea is good. The aim is to increase equal opportunities between nations. During the season the number of suits is limited to ten. These suits are registered by the FIS and provided with a chip. The question is: How durable are the materials? For example, if the suits get wet more often, the fabric becomes soft and changes its properties. The trick will be to take good care of the suits. They are constantly being packed and unpacked and therefore put under a lot of strain.

Does that mean the suit for the tour will be packed in cotton wool by December 29th?

For sure (laughs).

Would a tour victory top your Olympic victory?

The Olympics only happen every four years. But conversely, the tour also has a long history and, as an annual event, is the largest event in winter sports and therefore the flagship of our sport. It also spans four competitions, whereas the Olympics are a one-day event. In this respect, I would rate a tour victory as slightly higher.