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Oberstdorf (dpa) - Germany's medal collectors are only too happy to continue the golden years of the World Cup in the wonderful home atmosphere of Oberstdorf.

In sunny spring weather and the fantastic sight of the snow-capped Alpine peaks, the German team around three-time world champion Markus Eisenbichler and the local heroes Karl and Vinzenz Geiger are hoping for a repetition of the Seefeld Festival, in which the athletes of the German Ski Association (DSV) have six world titles and had cleared three more silver medals.

"We try to keep the level," said association president Franz Steinle of the German press agency.

But that will be a brutally difficult task in the corona-related dreariness of the stadium on the Schattenberg and in the Ried.

Above all, the ski jumpers, who contributed two thirds of all titles and world championship medals to the overall result in 2019, are the focus of the title fights that start on Wednesday.

Despite the recent World Cup successes, neither the individual divisions nor the DSV name specific medal targets.

The pressure is still particularly great, as the association has been working towards 2021 and the home World Cup for years.

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Ski jumping head coach Stefan Horngacher says: “After gold, silver and bronze at the Ski Flying World Championships, we can go to Oberstdorf in a relaxed manner.

There we can really only win and lose nothing. "

But not only three titles won in 2019 are at stake, but also a successful season highlight that has become the standard in recent years under national coach Werner Schuster.

Eisenbichler and Geiger have succeeded the generation of jumpers Severin Freund / Richard Freitag in terms of performance and they have great hopes in Oberstdorf.

Especially for Geiger, who was allowed to carry the Kazakh flag into the stadium at the 2005 World Cup as a child, the major event in his home town is something special.

“We can march and attack with a broad chest at the home World Cup.

We have nothing to lose, ”emphasized Geiger, who had already celebrated an emotional home win at the Four Hills Tournament in December.

But behind the top duo there are other concerns in German ski jumping.

In terms of breadth, the men are nowhere near as good as they were in 2019. The women around Katharina Althaus from Allgäu, who were the guarantors of medals at previous major events, are no longer as strong in the winter when there was a single of the large hill would give another chance.

Team manager Horst Hüttel said of the prospects: “The World Championships in Seefeld was extraordinary.

It's a bit utopian, so much has come together in a positive way. "

Lahti (eleven medals) and Falun (eight medals) had been similarly grandiose before.

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This time the Nordic combined athletes should be more reliable than the hill jumpers in the hunt for gold, silver and bronze.

In Eric Frenzel, Vinzenz Geiger and Fabian Rießle, the team of coach Hermann Weinbuch provides three absolute top players.

In the individual, Jarl Magnus Riiber from Norway is the giant to be overcome.

"He's the matador," said Weinbuch, who currently considers the young violinist to be his strongest protégé.

There are also great opportunities for medals in the team and in the team sprint.

It is difficult to predict what the wagon women’s first decision will bring.

As in previous years, cross-country skiers are likely to contribute little to the overall balance.

Peter Schlickenrieder's team has been working specifically towards Oberstdorf for years, but has hardly been able to reduce the gap to the world's best.

Regarding a possible medal, the team boss said: “If I'm honest: No.

I say that is not realistic. "

In the cross-country ski trails, the focus is instead on the stars of the scene: the Norwegian Therese Johaug or the Russian Alexander Bolschunow, who, in addition to his athletic performance, also attracted attention in the World Cup with his body check on a rival in the finish area.

"That shows what kind of emotional energy there is in the fellow," said Schlickenrieder.

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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210223-99-553919 / 3

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