Ski jumping is such a changeable sport. This is not only because the athletes are dependent on wind and weather like a few others in sports. On one day a leap in victory succeeds, one season seems to be invincible, then again nothing seems to go together. Only three years ago Severin Freund was the star of the scene, at the 2015 World Cup he flew to gold. Today nobody talks about him anymore after severe injuries and form-downs.

Markus Eisenbichler is probably the first one who can feel this. He has also suffered from injuries, in 2012 he broke in training several thoracic vertebrae, he has laboriously struggled again. A year ago at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang celebrated his colleagues team gold, he was not there as a substitute. But now, now he is at the top. When jumping off the large hill he succeeded in the second round "one of the hottest jumps of my life", only at 135.5 meters, he touched the ground again.

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World Cup in ski jumping: historic double victory

Gold for Eisenbichler, silver for his room buddy Karl Geiger - once again it's the hands of the national coach Werner Schuster to have his athletes in top form for the event of the year. They were already strong at the Four Hills Tournament for the change of hands, especially Eisenbichler, but also his teammate Stephan Leyhe, who was overall third behind him. The fact that Leyhe was only allowed to watch on Saturday shows the power density at the DSV.

Kobayashi is only fourth this time

But on the tour, the Japanese rider Ryoyu Kobayashi was the big dominator who won all four competitions, including the Bergisel, where he jumped. Kobayashi finished fourth. At that moment, he could not buy anything from the successes of the season.

It is a remarkable story about this Markus Eisenbichler, who had never been first in the World Cup before. "How do you digest that, who has never won and is suddenly world champion?", He asked himself, he "did not know what I should actually feel". He tried to shout out his joy. Geiger and Eisenbichler, they not only share their quarters, they have had similar experiences. Long in the shadow of Richard Freitag and Andreas Wellinger, who were the celebrated jumpers in recent years. Now they are in the light.

Schuster has ensured consistency

It's a special moment for coach Schuster. The 49-year-old Austrian leaves the post at the DSV after eleven years, Schuster has shaped the ski jump in Germany, changed. Above all, he made sure that in this sport, in which the change is so normal, consistency comes. After the successes of Dieter Thoma, Jens Weißflog, Martin Schmitt and Sven Hannawald, the German ski jump did not fall into a performance hole. He has always found and shaped young jumpers. The nerve-strength of DSV jumpers meanwhile can almost be relied on for major events, and that, too, has been the responsibility of the psychologist Schuster.

The World Cup is the farewell party for the coach, who has usually hit the right note with his calm, rather withdrawn nature. A man of soft sounds. Above all, it managed to stifle jealousies, envy in the team before they could come up. Anyone who has seen how pleased Geiger was that his colleague Eisenbichler jumped to victory, although he thereby spoiled him with the gold medal, got an impression of how well it is in the ski jumping team for the atmosphere.

Therefore, the mission of the outgoing coach until Sunday (14.45 clock, live ticker SPIEGEL ONLINE) properly completed. Then the team competition is on the program. To win a gold medal there - that would stand for everything that Werner Schuster has done in the DSV.