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Oberstdorf (dpa) - Karl Geiger gave the German ski jumpers the first medal at the Nordic Home World Championships in his ski jumping room.
The 28-year-old only had to admit defeat to world champion Piotr Zyla from Poland in his silver medal in Oberstdorf.
Bronze from the normal hill went to Anze Lanisek from Slovenia.
Previously, the German jumpers, combiners and cross-country skiers had not made it onto the podium in eight decisions at the long-awaited Nordic World Ski Championships.
"That was really brutal," commented the completely stunned violinist on his success.
«I'm really speechless.
I didn't see it coming. "
National coach Stefan Horngacher was also enthusiastic.
"We are all overjoyed that we won a medal in the first competition," he said on ARD.
«Karl jumped really well.
The second jump was a real bomb. "
Geiger jumped 103.5 and 102 meters on the Schattenberg.
"It can't go any better," said Horngacher.
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For Geiger, it was the next chapter in an extremely turbulent winter story.
In December, the Allgäu, previously known as the “Kleinschanzen-Karle”, was crowned ski flying world champion in Planica, Slovenia.
Shortly afterwards, his daughter Luisa was born, then he had to be quarantined because of a positive corona test.
Geiger was allowed to leave the isolation again just in time for the Four Hills Tournament - and won on the large hill on the Schattenberg, of all places.
After mixed weeks in the World Cup and the low point in Klingenthal, when he missed the second round twice, he was now the same again in time for the big highlight.
Geiger knows the system like hardly anyone else in the jumpers field.
“Because it is not an easy hill” and “unbelievably reveals mistakes”, he likes to train there.
During the tour, he and his colleagues jump from the large hill right next door.
"The little hill suits me better," said Geiger at last.
On Saturday you could guess what he meant by that.
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As the second best German, Pius Paschke took eleventh place.
Markus Eisenbichler jumped to 17th place. In front of the stands in the Allgäu, which were only filled with cardboard figures due to the corona, the flight artists offered a thrilling, top-class jumping show.
At halftime, Eisenbichler was 14th, only four and a half meters behind the first-placed Zyla.
From the German quartet, Geiger was the best in the race as fourth just a few centimeters behind bronze and made excellent use of his starting position.
Paschke in sixth place was also within striking distance.
The final turned into a nerve game, in which Zyla was allowed to celebrate.
For Seefeld triumphant Eisenbichler, things went anything but desired.
The German jumper who was actually most consistent this season had to be content with a rank well below his abilities after jumps on 98.5 and 95.5 meters.
Two years ago at the World Championships in Tyrol, "Eisei" won the World Championship title from the large hill, as a team, and with the mixed team.
Unlike Geiger, the German jumpers had no chance in their first competitions.
In the individual on the normal hill, Katharina Althaus, as the best local, was only tenth.
The defending champions only jumped to fifth place in the team, and the gap to the front was huge in both competitions.
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On Sunday the best German jumpers are challenged again.
In the mixed team, the quartet of the German Ski Association starts as defending champions.
The top favorites are not the DSV-Adler from 5 p.m. (ARD and Eurosport) this time.
In the afternoon, the Nordic combined athletes and the team have great chances of medals (10 a.m. and 3 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport), the cross-country skiers in the team sprint rather not (finals from 1 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport 2).
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210227-99-620645 / 5
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