Olympics Almost Lost: Karl Geiger Faces Elimination After 27th Place

Karl Geiger may have shown signs of life in Sapporo – but athletically and for his internal Olympic qualification, it may be too late. On the 1972 Olympic hill, the Oberstdorf native made it to the second round for the first time since the end of November, but after a strong start, the competition turned into a setback for him: a jump of 132.0 meters initially put him in twelfth place, but in the final he dropped to 27th after a 114.0-meter jump. The required standard thus remains unfulfilled.

A good first jump, then a clear setback

The competition began for Geiger with a performance that had long been missing, showing he could belong to the extended top group. 132.0 meters were enough for twelfth place in the first round – a position from which a clear statement would have been possible. That would have been crucial in his situation: not just "somehow" making it to the second round, but delivering a result that counts measurably in the internal selection.

However, the collapse followed in the second jump. With 114.0 meters, Geiger suddenly lost many places in the dense midfield and finished the competition only in 27th place. The fact that he even reached the final round is a small step forward; but for the Olympic race, it is above all a missed moment – because the first jump had opened the way, but the second closed it again.

Why 27th place is not enough for Geiger

The requirements for Geiger are clear and high: to participate in the Winter Games in Italy, he must either finish twice in the top 15 in the World Cup or once in the top 8. He has not managed either so far this season, with his best result remaining 23rd place in Lillehammer in November.

This is exactly why Sapporo weighs heavily. 27th place brings neither points nor arguments in this decisive phase – and it increases the time pressure. On Sunday night, Geiger now needs a top-eight result; otherwise, the requirement can no longer be met in the remaining time frame. The qualification period ends on Sunday evening.

The situation is also tricky because the competition within his own team is not sleeping – on the contrary: several German jumpers have already met the requirement. National coach Stefan Horngacher is expected to take only four athletes to the Games. In the end, it is not only about whether Geiger "jumps better again," but whether he produces results that justify a nomination in direct comparison. In this framework, 27th place is practically a zero-sum game.

Raimund meets the requirement, Prevc wins in Sapporo

The best German in Sapporo was Philipp Raimund in 15th place. He is already among the jumpers who have met the Olympic standard. This also applies to Felix Hoffmann, Andreas Wellinger, and Pius Paschke, who skipped the competitions in Japan. Luca Roth finished in 31st place.

The victory went to Domen Prevc. The Slovenian won ahead of Naoki Nakamura and Ren Nikaido. There was also another disqualification: Ziga Jancar was removed from the competition due to non-compliant shoe size – an example of how strictly equipment checks are enforced in ski jumping and how quickly a result can be lost off the hill as well.

For Geiger, Sapporo leaves above all an uncomfortable conclusion: the second round was a signal that he can basically be competitive again. But for his Olympic chance, that is no longer enough – he now needs precisely the result that he has not yet achieved this season.