Deschwanden and Naito celebrate first World Cup wins

Stormy conditions caused turbulent flights on the Holmenkollen hill in Oslo. Andreas Wellinger and Karl Geiger were the best German athletes of the weekend. Felix Hoffmann narrowly avoided a fall, while Philipp Raimund later decided to withdraw from the competition.

The Ski Jumping World Cup at the traditional Holmenkollen hill in Oslo was heavily affected by wind throughout the weekend. Changing conditions posed major challenges for the athletes in both individual competitions and repeatedly caused unstable flights. For the German team, the weekend produced mixed results, with solid individual performances but no finishes in the top positions.

The first individual competition on Saturday quickly turned into an event full of surprises. Gusty winds and changing visibility made it difficult for many jumpers to keep their jumps under control.

Overall, the German athletes delivered mixed performances. Andreas Wellinger produced two solid jumps of 125.5 and 120.5 metres to finish as the best German in 17th place. Karl Geiger improved in the second round and eventually placed 19th. Pius Paschke also collected World Cup points in 29th place.

For Philipp Raimund and the other German athletes, Saturday was less successful. Raimund did not find the ideal timing in the first round, jumped 119.0 metres and missed the final as 36th. Felix Hoffmann (44th) and Ben Bayer (40th) were also eliminated after the first round.

At the top of the standings, a close battle for victory developed. Switzerland’s Gregor Deschwanden secured the win with jumps of 132.5 and 130.5 metres, narrowly ahead of Austria’s Maximilian Ortner. Third place went to Japan’s Naoki Nakamura, who reached 128.5 and 129.0 metres. For Deschwanden, it was the first World Cup win of his career. Another surprise came with the early elimination of overall World Cup winner Domen Prevc, who jumped only 117.5 metres and finished 42nd after the first round.

Official results from Saturday’s individual competition

On Sunday, Holmenkollen once again lived up to its reputation as a hill that is highly sensitive to wind. Domen Prevc was able to win the morning qualification, but in the following competition the gusts increased noticeably during the first round. The difficulties were particularly clear in the case of Felix Hoffmann, who landed early at 95 metres, narrowly avoided a fall and finished 48th. During this phase, Philipp Raimund decided not to start his jump due to the increasingly risky conditions. He was therefore listed as “did not start” in the official results. The jury completed the first round but later had to cancel the planned final round due to the persistently strong and unpredictable winds. As a result, the competition was decided after just one round.

Karl Geiger was the best German athlete on Sunday. With a jump of 127.5 metres he secured a solid 11th place and positioned himself in the extended front group. Andreas Wellinger followed directly behind in 12th place with 122.0 metres, showing a clear improvement compared to the day before. Ben Bayer added further World Cup points in 25th place with a jump of 119.5 metres.

Pius Paschke did not find his rhythm on Sunday and finished 33rd. Overall, the German team remained outside the podium positions but showed competitive performances in the strong midfield, particularly through Geiger and Wellinger, collecting valuable points for the overall standings.

The victory went to Japan’s Tomofumi Naito, who celebrated his first World Cup win with a jump of 131.5 metres and 128.7 points. Slovenia’s Anze Lanisek followed in second place with 127.0 metres, just 0.1 points behind. Finland’s Antti Aalto finished third with 131.0 metres and 127.6 points, claiming the first World Cup podium of his career.
Overall World Cup leader Domen Prevc finished ninth with 127.5 metres, while Saturday’s winner Gregor Deschwanden placed 38th under the difficult conditions.

Official results from Sunday’s individual competition

The competitions in Oslo once again demonstrated how unpredictable the Holmenkollen can be. While Gregor Deschwanden and Tomofumi Naito celebrated their first World Cup victories, the German jumpers struggled with the challenging conditions. Karl Geiger and Andreas Wellinger in particular delivered convincing performances on Sunday with finishes inside the top 12.
After the turbulent World Cup weekend in Oslo, the season now continues with the ski flying competitions in nearby Vikersund, where the athletes will fight for the next World Cup points next weekend.