Mixed emotions after the competition in Oberstdorf
Huge crowd in Oberstdorf - FIS
The athletes were obviously in different moods after the first competition of the 4-Hills-Tournament in Oberstdorf.
Winner Simon Ammann is probably still smiling: "Oberstdorf is one of the greatest places to win. It's extremely emotional. I benefit from my work. But still you also need some luck in the World Cup. The audience was super fair. Of course the overall title is still possible, that was my goal for Oberstdorf. It's fantastic that I'm still in the mix, but the 4-Hills-Tournament is never easy. First of all I have to get my emotions under control."
Andreas Wellinger, only 29th in Oberstdorf, disillusioned: "It didn't go the way I expected. Now I look ahead and for sure it'll be better in the next competitions."
His teammate Andreas Wank was satisfied: "There are still some little things I have to work on, but I'm on the right track towards the Olympics. I hope that I can make another step forward in Garmisch and that I can show two good jumps there."
Martin Schmitt was emotional, despite he missed to qualify for the final: "During the jump you are focused, but afterwards you notice the atmosphere. As an athlete I have the ambition to qualify for the final. I have to be honest to myself. It wasn't good in training and at the end my performance was not enough. I have to be calmer in Garmisch. Here I was too aggressive and that's not good for my jumping at the moment. Noriaki Kasai is really strong and has self confidence. You can't say anything against him. I think that this was my last jump in a competition in Oberstdorf."
Michael Neumayer was talking about veteran Noriaki Kasai: "You can tell that his technique is good. Ski jumping is not a very exhausting sport and so you can still do it at 41. He's in good health and he does his homework."
Severin Freund had mixed emotions: "I'm not totally satisfied. It was not a bad start of the 4-Hills. My first jump was relatively close to a really good jump. In the second I could've done better. There are still a few competitions left and a lot can happen. In Oberstdorf there's usually tailwind in the evening. That's why we have more competitions during the 4-Hills. I'm now already a few points behind the best, but you have to fight until the end. The atmosphere in our team is good, even if it wasn't a perfect day."
Marinus Kraus is looking forward to the New Year's event: "Of course I can't promise something outstanding for Garmisch, but I'll do my best. Last year I celebrated New Year's Eve at home, but Garmisch is not bad either. The audience was definitely an additional motivation for me today."
Norwegian Tom Hilde was satisfied with the first round: "It was not that perfect for me, but I'm on the right track. I'm happy with the first jump, the second jump was close. Now I'm looking forward to Garmisch. The next three hills are also not easy to jump, but I'm optimistic."
Jan Matura, who won two World Cup competitions last winter, missed to qualify for the final: "I have problems with the timing at the take-off. I was too late, that's it. I hope I can do better in Garmisch. There are always ups and downs, and more downs now. I have to work on my take-off. If I can improve that, then the results will be better again."
Kamil Stoch was not happy with his first jump: "I was a stressed in the first round and made some small mistakes. The second jump was really good. The atmosphere here is great and I gained some experience for the future. I try to jump well. It should be easier for me on the next three hills."
Thomas Morgenstern closely missed the podium but: "The fifth place feels like a win. I'm very proud, especially of the second jump. I still need more confidence, but that was close to a really good one. I'm very relieved. The competition was influenced by the changes of the gate, but all in all I showed two good jumps."
The mood of defending champion Gregor Schlierenzauer was not so good: "I don't know how much farther I would have had to jump in the second round. The jumps were good. But the changes of the gate make it very difficult. Now I will relax, analyse and do something different. I'm also looking forward to being home again."
