Shortly before the anthem, applause broke out again.

“A totally fair audience,” said Karl Geiger after the award ceremony about the ovations from the Swiss fans.

"I enjoyed it a lot." The man in yellow had every reason to do so on Saturday.

Another victory in Engelberg, another competition in which the ski jumper showed his great ability.

"I knocked out two grenades here," said Geiger after his two jumps of 137 and 140 meters, with which he overtook Ryoyu Kobayashi, who was still the leader, and thus extended his lead in the overall World Cup.

Ralf Weitbrecht

Sports editor.

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The advantage of the Allgäu over the Japanese was the equivalent of almost fifty centimeters.

"If it works, then it works," said Geiger - and his broad grin could even be seen under his face mask in the interview area of ​​the Groß-Titlis-Schanze.

Geiger also had reason to be happy on Sunday.

This time Kobayashi prevailed with a lead of 12.2 points and almost seven meters, but Geiger confirmed his strong form with two jumps of 135 and 131.5 meters, which meant second place, and spoke of a "really good weekend" .

A week ago, in Klingenthal, Geiger had a bad day with an outlier in this previous World Cup winter as 22nd. In Engelberg, in the heart of Switzerland, everything went well again. Just like three years ago, when the Oberstdorf resident won his first ever World Cup competition in the picturesque monastery village. "The jumps were much better, that gives me a lot of lift." Geiger and Engelberg - that fits. The initial reservations are gone. Geiger understood and tamed the hill. Before, he didn't know “how it works. Today I go up here with a grin. ”Geiger knows that the run-up is“ tricky ”and that you tend to be too late when you take off. What if there is a tailwind? "Then the hill is merciless."

On the day when Engelberg presented itself as a white and blue winter paradise in a stable high pressure situation, the ski jump meant well by Geiger. In his analysis he knew straight away: “My jump idea came up in the first jump. That's exactly how I wanted it. ”A jump that led him to 137 meters and close behind the former Four Hills Tournament winner Kobayashi. The Japanese, who has not taken the inrun at all in the past few weeks due to a corona infection, is in great shape again after completing a compulsory break. What he may still be missing in order to be one of the absolute top favorites of the tour that starts after Christmas, Geiger has already achieved: consistency. “That is my greatest asset,” he said in Engelberg. “Stay tuned every day and work conscientiously.So far I've got better every year. "

Eisenbichler doesn't get by

In the year 2021, which is coming to an end, Geiger has established himself alongside Kobayashi as the hill artist who is currently to be beaten. When the jumps for World Cup points started, the family man from the Allgäu set a first exclamation mark in Nizhny Tagil. Victory in the Russian cold chamber. Two more podium places followed - and now the second success this winter. An outstanding one, as he said after his coup in the frosty Engelberg. “It's a great day for me. But I had to focus brutally. ”Geiger remains in the yellow shirt that he has already taken to his heart. A jersey that identifies him as the best in the overall World Cup standings. "The fact that I can now even carry it to my home in Oberstdorf is super cool," he said. "But I prefer it when I go to Planica,after the last jump. Then it counts. It is a privilege to jump in this jersey. "

For many who found their way to the Groß-Titlis-Schanze on the fourth weekend in Advent, it was a privilege to watch violinists at work. “I had my belongings together,” said the focused, calm Oberstdorfer. No bucking, no wobbling: when it counted, Geiger was there. Unlike his longtime specialist Markus Eisenbichler. The Bavarian couldn't cope with the characteristics of the hill at all and finished 27th. The day after, he even missed the final as 35th. "It's a difficult hill," said Eisenbichler. “I'm just insecure. I don't have the self-confidence at the moment, but I won't let myself get down. ”A case for the coaching team around national coach Stefan Horngacher, who Eisenbichler fully trusts.Eisenbichler also attaches great importance to Geiger's opinion. "I'll chat with him a bit," said Geiger. “Sometimes it just goes stupid. At the latest when the tour is over, everyone can count on him again. "

For Geiger, things went splendidly at the Engelberg dress rehearsal.

And when things get serious in Oberstdorf and the subsequent stages of the tour at the end of December, you should definitely expect someone like Geiger.

He's the one who might be able to finally win the tour for Germany twenty years after Sven Hannawald.