Will this be the winter of the breakthrough?

Will one of the German ski jumpers finally manage to win the prestigious and challenging Four Hills Tournament 20 years after Sven Hannawald's Grand Slam coup?

The team is standing, the corps spirit is right, the veteran returned in time.

The fact that Severin Freund, the most experienced ski jumper, is back in the team of national coach Stefan Horngacher fills the colleagues with pride and gratitude.

Ralf Weitbrecht

Sports editor.

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"Great respect for him," says Horngacher of Freund, who fought his way back from the Continental Cup, from the "second division", with long jumps. “He is our haven of peace, the pioneer, to whom we only wish the very best.” Karl Geiger adds: “It's always good to have Severin with you. It's impressive how he supports the team. He's doing the team extremely well. ”A team that, according to Horngacher, feels ready to tackle the summit. "We're hot and want to fight for victory."

The Oberstdorf violinist is going this Wednesday (4.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Four Hills Tournament, on ARD and Eurosport), just a few meters from his home in the Allgäu Valley of the Schanzen, in the yellow jersey of the World Cup leader in the first competition on the Schattenberg .

Geiger is the front man of the Germans.

The one who is currently in the best shape and who is most likely to jump in the alleged duel with the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi for the Golden Eagle.

On January 6th, at the traditional final competition in Bischofshofen, this can be raised.

It's a long, arduous, stressful way to get there.

Just like the way the Germans went on this 70th anniversary tour.

"Why so late?"

Flexibility and a talent for improvisation were the trump cards. Because it was not possible to train on the defective Heimschanze in Oberstdorf in the summer, Horngacher had rescheduled and remembered the excellent facilities in his Austrian homeland. Courses on the Bergisel, the long-standing mountain of fate of the Germans, where many a dream of a tour victory, for example that of Geiger, who finished 16th in Innsbruck, has been shattered last year. But also courses in Bischofshofen, the second Austrian hill of the Four Hills Tournament. Combined with many training jumps on the smaller hills of Stams and Berchtesgaden. “We have specialized in the Bergisel,” says Horngacher. In addition: "We were also in Poland to train."

The defending champion comes from Poland.

Kamil Stoch, who has long since risen to “King Kamil” in his home country because of his great successes and achievements, has, like Geiger, commented positively on a decisive innovation on this tour.

It's about money, it's about appreciation.

For the first time, the overall winner will receive 100,000 Swiss francs (the equivalent of 96,000 euros) - 80,000 more than in previous years.

“Why so late?” Asks Stoch.

“The prize money has to be so high.

After all, it's a big, fantastic event.

Ten tough days, a logistical challenge, very stressful for everyone involved. "Geiger also appreciates the increase in prize money as a" sign of recognition.

The Streif winner also gets a certain bonus.

Whoever is allowed to raise the Golden Eagle has really achieved something. "

From Tiefenbach it should go high. The German team has moved into its usual headquarters in the Oberstdorf district. In addition to the violinist and his returnee Freund, Markus Eisenbichler, Andreas Wellinger, Stephan Leyhe, Pius Paschke and Constantin Schmid are part of the seven-person jumping crew, to which the “national group” joins the New Year’s competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. "We want to train these young athletes better," says Horngacher, looking at the big picture in German ski jumping. Wellinger, meanwhile, will be absent in Oberstdorf on Wednesday. He didn't qualify.

For the record jumper of the German Ski Association, the six-time world champion Eisenbichler, there are nuances that need to be worked on. "Markus is not in top form, but he did our last unit here in Oberstdorf very well," says Horngacher, who knows: "Eisei needs good training jumps." Jumps for safety, for self-confidence. Jumps for the diverse challenges of a complex sport that is particularly in the spotlight around the turn of the year.

"Since I started the tour for the first time, I have exhausted my range of emotions to the full," says Geiger.

The first time in 2014 he was eliminated in qualification as 51st, the last time exactly a year ago he set standards on his home hill.

A Oberstdorfer wins in Oberstdorf.

The last time this happened was in 1959, when Max Bolkart triumphed.

Geiger would not mind if a small chapter of ski jumping history were to repeat itself on this Wednesday.