Excitement after tour

“This is a Punch and Judy show by the Austrians!”

Sven Hannawald is annoyed by the Austrians' behavior.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

While many competitors and spectators were amazed at the ÖSV dominance at the Four Hills Tournament, Germany's legend Sven Hannawald is annoyed by the behavior of Stefan Kraft and co. He even speaks of a "Punch and Judy show".

After accusations of cheating regarding the suits of the ÖSV eagles at the start of the tour, the team around head coach Andi Widhölzl provided new food for speculation at Bergisel. The bindings were covered during qualifying. "A purely precautionary measure - and a nice feast for everyone else now," smiled Widhölzl.

The ÖSV team around Stefan Kraft (right) suddenly covered the bindings in Innsbruck.(Bild: GEPA)

Sven Hannawald doubts that the ÖSV team cheated at the tour. "There are rules, be it for the suit, the bindings or the boots. The FIS didn't notice anything during the checks, otherwise we would have received a report. I haven't heard any rumors from the inner circles either," the German legend explains in the Sport1 interview.

Nevertheless, Hannwald is annoyed with the Austrians. "As far as the binding is concerned, they covered it once, then in Bischofshofen Daniel Tschofenig showed up in the outrun without covering the binding. For me, it's a Punch and Judy show that the Austrians put on when they realize they're two steps ahead of everyone else," said the 2022 tour winner. "I don't want to talk about exposing themselves. But they make fun of it and enjoy the fact that everyone else thinks there's a miracle connection."

This is how Hannawald explains the ÖSV dominance
Because the ÖSV eagles were so dominant, Hannawald assumes "that they found something in the summer or at the beginning of the winter in terms of the material, especially the suits. I think they had good fabric quality," says the 50-year-old. "But it wasn't just the material, the jumps also worked at an absolutely high level, so they were able to pull away so far."