Philipp Raimund is Germany's new national ski jumping champion. The 26-year-old from SC Oberstdorf won Friday's individual normal hill competition in Hinterzarten with 255.9 points, coming from behind in the final round. The Milano Cortina Olympic champion sat only third after the first jump but finished 2.7 points clear of Andreas Wellinger. In the women's event, Agnes Reisch of WSV Isny took the title ahead of team-mate Selina Freitag.
Final-round jump decides it
Raimund landed at 103 and 106 metres, and it was the second jump that made the difference: he produced the longest distance of the final round, while Wellinger, who had led at the halfway stage after 106 metres, could only manage 100.5 metres – six metres shorter than the new champion. The 31-year-old from SC Ruhpolding finished on 253.2 points and had to settle for silver.
"Of course it's annoying to end up second in the end," Wellinger said. Still, the duel showed that, some six weeks before the World Cup opener, two of Germany's most experienced jumpers are operating at a very similar level. For Raimund, the national title after last winter's Olympic gold is further proof that he has firmly established himself at the top of the German hierarchy.
Bronze went to Ben Bayer. The 22-year-old produced the longest jump of the day with 106.5 metres in the first round and, after 101.5 metres in the second, finished on 250.9 points – just five points behind the winner. Jannik Faißt, Karl Geiger and Constantin Schmid completed the top six.
Pius Paschke was absent, having withdrawn from the championships with knee problems, which meant one of Germany's established World Cup jumpers was missing from the field.
Reisch holds off Freitag
The women's competition was just as tight. Reisch jumped 103 and 99 metres for a total of 254 points, while Freitag (101 and 99.5 metres) ended three points back on 251 to take silver. "All in all, I'm totally satisfied," Reisch said after claiming the title.
Ski JumpingKnee trouble forces Pius Paschke out of German championshipsLuisa Görlich provided the comeback story of the day. Only recently back from a cruciate ligament tear, she jumped a consistent 102.5 and 102 metres to win bronze with 241.3 points. Emely Torazza, Anna Deufel and Anna Fay-Scharfenberg rounded out the top six.
Team event and Nordic combined still to come
More than 100 athletes took part in the championships on the Rothaus hill in the Black Forest. The event runs until Sunday: Saturday features the team ski jumping competition and the Nordic combined individual races, with the Nordic combined team events closing the programme on Sunday.
For Germany's jumpers, Hinterzarten is one of the final form checks before winter. The World Cup season opens on 20 November in Lillehammer with a mixed team event, the first chance to see whether Raimund can carry his Black Forest momentum onto the international stage.
