Fellinger is based on his “home hill” in Bischofshofen

In the battle to win the championship, skier Andreas Wellinger relies entirely on his beloved Paul-Außerleitner ski jump. “I really like Bischofshofen. I don't jump as much on any other hill. I can get there within an hour from home; even when I was a student, I often drove there from Berchtesgaden to train,” the Bavarian said.

The battle for the overall victory in Bischofshofen will be decided on Saturday, with the qualifiers taking place on Friday. “I'll put my foot down and take it confidently, stay in the air as long as I can and land cleanly, and then there'll be a tally of results,” Willinger said. In the overall standings, the Olympic champion is two and a half meters behind Japanese leader Ryoyu Kobayashi.

Wellinger won qualifying in Bischofshofen in 2017 with a record 144.5 metres. Two years later, Pole Davut Kubacki improved the record to 145.0 metres.

National coach Stefan Horngacher also sees some kind of home advantage for Willinger. “Bischofshoven considers his home hill, where he trains a lot in the summer and jumps well. He has all the potential,” said the Austrian.

However, Willinger has only been on the podium once in the Paul-Außerleitner-Schanze race, and in 2018 he finished third. But his rival Kobayashi won there in 2019 and 2022, leaving Willinger behind in each of their last five meetings. –

Duels between Wellinger and Kobayashi at Bischofshofen:

January 6, 2023: 17. Kobayashi, 20. Wellinger

January 8, 2022: Kobayashi 4th, Wellinger 19th (no jumping)

January 6, 2022: 5. Kobayashi, 33. Wellinger

January 5, 2022: 1. Kobayashi, 15. Willinger (sub Innsbruck)

January 6, 2019: 1. Kobayashi, 15. Wellinger

January 6, 2018: Willinger 3rd, Kobayashi 20th (+49.0 points)

January 6, 2017: 31. Willinger, 42. Kobayashi (+17.7 points)