Top ski jumper Karl Geiger clearly showed improving form at the first "Snow World Cup" of the season and got the first top 10 placement for the German "Adler" in the World Cup winter in Ruka, Finland.
With the victory of Slovenian Anze Lanisek in the Arctic Circle, the 29-year-old, who was second overall in the World Cup last year, flew to sixth place. A good month before the start of the Four Hills Tournament, Geiger gained a lot of self-confidence.
Geiger, who, like most of the German team, had disappointed at the early start of the season on mats in Wisla, Poland at the beginning of November, jumped 139.5 meters twice.
With 288.7 points, however, he was almost seven meters off the podium.
Because the Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud, who was placed in front of him, was subsequently disqualified, Geiger moved up a bit from seventh place.
Lanisek triumphed in his second World Cup victory - the first he had also achieved in Ruka last year - with 149.0 and 141.5 meters (312.8 points) just ahead of Austria's world champion Stefan Kraft (311.5).
In the first round, Lanisek had improved the hill record held by Geiger, among others, by one and a half meters.
Third place went to Pole Piotr Zyla (300.7).
His team colleague Dawid Kubacki, double winner in Wisla, claimed fourth place in the yellow jersey of the World Cup leader.
The two-time Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger (Ruhpolding) was the second best German in 14th place.
The six-time world champion Markus Eisenbichler (Siegsdorf) jumped a strong 142.0 meters in the first round, but had major problems landing and then slight knee pain.
After a moderate second jump, it was only enough for 16th place in the final.
Pius Paschke (Kiefersfelden) came in 18th.
The former world champion Stephan Leyhe (Willingen), after the first round in eighth place was still the best German, missed a good result due to a weak second jump and ended up in 21st place.