Hoerl heroics aids Austrian one-two finish in Engelberg

Olympic champion Jan Hoerl (AUT) claimed his second World Cup victory of the season after a highly impressive performance in tricky conditions in Engelberg, Switzerland.

The 26-year-old, who won World Cup two at the season-opening event in Lillehammer (NOR) last month, trailed by 4.8 points after the first round on Saturday.

Team-mate Daniel Tschofenig had recorded the longest jump of the day – 142.5m – but their rankings were reversed after an entertaining second round showdown from the Gross-Titlis-Schanze hill.

Home fans were also able to celebrate not only a brilliant contest, but also host-nation success in the men’s first World Cup event of the weekend, with Gregor Deschwanden (SUI) claiming third.

World Cup leader Pius Paschke (GER), who had won the previous three World Cup events, had a rare off-day, placing tenth.

He still retains a commanding lead in the race for the 2024/25 crystal globe though with 702 points, with Hoerl (551) now up to second and Tschofenig (535) third.

“It’s very important for me,” Hoerl told FIS.

“The second victory this season after two good jumps today is amazing. My feelings are good and I hope I can show you tomorrow two (further) good jumps”

How it played out: Engelberg World Cup 1:

Vladimir Zografski (BUL), competing in bid number 17, was the long-time leader in the first round after a stunning 137m jump, which was the standout mark for much of the first round.

Three-time Olympic medallist Karl Geiger (GER) took the number one spot, as expected, once the top-10 ranked athletes took to the hill, but the German would remain there for a while, with the weather conditions deteriorating as the competition progressed.

Beijing 2022 Olympic large hill champion Marius Lindvik (NOR) was the first to be impacted by a few major gusts which blew through the venue.

His jump was delayed, but when a gap was found he managed just 116m, which was significantly short of the qualification mark. 

The race officials and jury responded by moving the start gate further up the hill for the athletes who followed and Maximilian Ortner (AUT) achieved an impressive 129m

The 5,000-strong crowd were enjoying the contest, but what they desperately wanted to witness was home success.

It had been 3675 days since a Swiss athlete last won a ski jumping World Cup event - Simon Ammann in 2014, but Gregor Deschwanden (SUI) had given them optimism ahead of the contest in Engelberg after placing second and fourth last weekend.

133.5m, scoring 149.4 points, would give him – and them – hope.

Austrian duo Jan Hoerl and Daniel Tschofenig were though a class apart in the opening round, delivering respective 142m and 142.5m jumps. 

Tschofenig (AUT) would take a 4.8 point lead into the second round, ahead of team-mate Hoerl (AUT), with Geiger (GER) third, Deschwanden (SUI) fourth and Zografski (BUL) fifth.

World Cup leader Pius Paschke (GER), who had won the previous three World Cups, managed 134m, which was only enough for eighth place after the opening contest.

The top-30 then returned for the second round, however despite an impressive jump Yevhen Marusiak (UKR) was unable to celebrate for long after being disqualified for a suit violation, with Piotr Zyla (POL) suffering a similar fait as well.

The wind was again fluctuating between near non-existent, to over 4m-per-second as the event progressed into the early evening.

World junior champion Stephan Embacher (AUT) perhaps struggled the most it the tricky conditions, dropping eight places between the rounds.

Benjamin Oestvold (NOR) made the most marked improvement, rising nine positions to finish 20^th.

Two-time Olympic champion Andreas Wellinger (GER) was another making major moves, with his jump of 140m achieving a score of 150.4 points helping him from 11^th to first before the top-five athletes took to the hill.

He would ultimately place fourth as the first round leaders provided further evidence of their prowess on the HS140 hill.

Deschwanden delighted his Swiss supporters, building on his impressive first round effort of 133.5m with 138.5m, which against scored over 149 points and assured him a place on the podium.

Hoerl also travelled 138.5m, but his colossal score of 157.5 gave him what proved to be an unassailable lead total of 310.5.

Tschofenig gave it his all, but ultimately finished smiling after his 304 point total confirmed a one-two finish for Austrian athletes on the first day of World Cup competition in Engelberg.

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup
Engelberg (SUI) Schedule

22.12.2024
10:00 – Start Qualification - QUA Women's LH
11:30 – Competition start - WC Women's LH
14:30 – Start Trial Round - QUA Men's LH
16:00 – Competition start - WC Men LH
All times listed are CET (Central European Time) and are subject to change.