Olympia - ski jumping: Karl Geiger & Co. in the qualification Diseless

With place nine in qualifying, ski jumpers Karl Geiger shows its best performance in Beijing. In the fight for the medals, it is still very difficult for him.

Karl Geiger looked skeptically on the large scoreboard on the spectacular Zhangjiakou ski jump, then shattered without a visible emotional excitement his skiing: Germany's gold hopping has shown in qualifying for the first Olympic decision of Beijing her so far best jump in China, yet the 28- Year further puzzles - from his best form is the World Cup leader far away.

"It was a step in the right direction, but there is still a good deal. We are a bit looking for what is missing at the front," Geiger said after his ninth place on Saturday. If the Allgäu will not find it as soon as possible, it becomes hard in medal fight on Sunday (12.00 o'clock mez).

"It is not the Karl we know," said ex-national coach Werner Schuster at the EuroSport microphone about his former model student: "He increases slowly, from the jump-up it was his best jump."

With 97.5 m and 103.9 points, the ski flight world champion, which had great problems at the two training days, was clearly behind qualifying winner Marius Lindvik (Norway), which came to 116.7 points at 100.5 m.

Behind it, its compatriot Robert Johansson (116.6) and the Polish world champion Piotr Zyla (112.1) were second and third. Japan's pottavorit Ryoyu Kobayashi (111.4) came in fourth place.

also the three other German starters qualified

The three other German starters also qualified in a thoroughly interrupted by heavy upholding for the competition of the best 50th Stephan Leyhe (Willingen) came with 95.5 m in eleven.

"My idea, my shape, my feeling - that fits so far," said the Hesse. The six-time world champion Markus Eisenbichler (Siegsdorf / 91.0) disappointed with rank 23. Constantin Schmid (Oberaudorf) was 39. At 86.5 m.

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Among the three excreted jumpers under 53 starters was also the only Chinese in Song Qiwu. The former hurdle runner discovered by the Finnish Startrainer Mika Kojonkoski for the ski jumping was charged at 61.5 m.