German ski jumpers shine: hill record and New Year's jumping just around the corner!

German ski jumpers shine: hill record and New Year's jumping just around the corner!

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen there is great anticipation for the New Year's competition, because the qualification on December 31, 2025 brought numerous exciting results. The German ski jumpers have shown great improvement compared to the start in Oberstdorf. Philipp Raimund and Felix Hoffmann qualified for the competition with solid performances: Raimund jumped 135 meters and achieved fifth place, while Hoffmann took eighth place with 134 meters. Dominik Prevc from Slovenia took the lead with an impressive jump of 139.5 meters. But the highlight of the qualification was the new hill record set by Stephan Embacher from Austria, who at 145.5 meters jumped half a meter further than the previous record holder Michael Hayböck (145 meters) from Austria, set on January 1st, 2025.

This shows that the competition in ski jumping at the Four Hills Tournament 2025/26 is becoming even more intense. A total of six German jumpers qualified among the top 50 and thus provided a boost for the home audience. In addition to Raimund and Hoffmann, Pius Paschke and Ben Bayer also qualified for the New Year's competition; There will be some exciting German duels.

Strong team of DSV jumpers

The DSV jumpers have raised expectations regarding their performance. The best German in qualification was Philipp Raimund, who is currently in fifth place in the overall tour rankings. With his eighth place, Felix Hoffmann is on the verge of further podium finishes. Andreas Wellinger and Karl Geiger, who were unable to qualify in Oberstdorf, showed progress in Garmisch: Wellinger jumped 124.5 meters and Geiger landed at 125 meters. Maybe both of them will be able to get a fresh start at the turn of the year.

• Philipp Raimund: 5. Platz (135 m)
• Felix Hoffmann: 8. Platz (134 m)
• Domen Prevc (SLO): 1. Platz (139,5 m)
• Stephan Embacher (AUT): 2. Platz (145,5 m, Schanzenrekord)
• Andreas Wellinger: 27. Platz (124,5 m)
• Karl Geiger: 31. Platz (125 m)

The New Year's jump is considered one of the most important events of the ski jumping season, and the jumps are carried out on the highest jump on the tour at 149 meters. It will be crucial for the DSV jumpers to score points there. Wellinger expressed optimism about his performance and described it as valuable for the annual financial statements. Geiger was also satisfied with his 125 meters in qualification.

The duel of the best jumpers

The exciting line-up of German ski jumpers promises exciting New Year's jumping. Led by Philipp Raimund and Felix Hoffmann, they compete against international opponents:

• Philipp Raimund (5) gegen Eetu Nousiainen (46, Finnland)
• Felix Hoffmann (8) gegen Fatih Arda Ipcioglu (43, Türkei)
• Pius Paschke (20) gegen Karl Geiger (31)
• Andreas Wellinger (27) gegen Robin Pedersen (24, Norwegen)
• Ben Bayer (28) gegen Sandro Hauswirth (23, Schweiz)

The performance of the German athletes will be crucial to whether or not they can score well in future competitions. The New Year's competition definitely opens up new opportunities to compete for the overall ranking.

How the entire season will develop remains to be seen. But the signs point to exciting competitions. The big challenge comes with favorites like Stefan Kraft, Daniel Tschofenig and Ryoyu Kobayashi, but the Germans are ready to attack with fresh motivation. It remains an exciting weekend, with a lot of excitement and high expectations!

Further information and details about the current rankings can be found here: Radio Leverkusen, BR and Allgäu newspaper.