Schmitt’s chances in the wm almost at zero
Schmitt’s chances of taking part in the nordic world ski championships for the eighth and last time have dropped almost to zero just two weeks before the start of the title fight in val di fiemme.
"The situation is relatively clear. We have five people who have all made it to the podium and thus fulfilled the internal standards. I liked to give martin and also karl geiger another chance. But something will only be overturned if these two guys give absolute top performances," emphasized national coach werner schuster before the start of the team tour this weekend in willingen in an interview with the news agency dpa.
After the jumping next wednesday in klingenthal schuster will announce his world championship line-up. 35-year-old schmitt, who won a total of four world championship titles in 1999 and 2001 and took silver in the individual event again in 2009, is threatened with the role of spectator, as he did in 2007. "That two more jumpers fall out is actually impossible. It’s unlikely that another one will tip out. But we’ll have to wait and see what happens," said schuster.
There is a small question mark over world cup newcomer wellinger, who made a big splash in the first third of the season with two podium finishes. "This cold-headedness, which he had before christmas or even until the tour finale in bischofshofen, is of course not guaranteed. The quality he showed was quite extraordinary," said schuster.
Recently, however, things were not going well for the 17-year-old wellinger. At his last world cup appearance four weeks ago in zakopane he was only 31st., at the junior world championships in liberec he missed the hoped-for individual medal. "He certainly can’t get back in the car with this light-heartedness now. I assume, however, that he has not forgotten how to jump and that we will take him to the world championships," explained schuster.
The second shaky candidate in the team, in which severin freund, richard freitag and michael neumayer are set, is andreas wank. Oberhof skier has given fluctuating performances so far this winter, but has a bonus with the national coach. "Andi wank actually jumps quite well on the world championship course in predazzo. I have seen him there a few times. No matter what he does now, I’ll take that into account," schuster announced, adding: "something extraordinary has to happen for these people to be displaced."
Schmitt can therefore only help a small miracle. Schuster, however, has not yet written off the veteran, who celebrated a comeback at the four hills tournament with a tenth place in the overall standings that was hardly thought possible: "you never know what you’re going to get. Martin had a week off, so he is usually dangerous."