The view is awake, the results are not. Gregor Deschwanden travels to the Four Hills Tournament with a clear analysis of his interim low, but also as a seeker of the perfect body feeling.
24.12.2025, 04:31
24.12.2025, 07:26
SDA
A year ago, Gregor Deschwanden was flying towards the turn of the year like a jumper on the upswing. In the ten competitions before Oberstdorf, an 11th place had been his worst result, three times he waved from the podium and traveled to the Allgäu as co-favorite. The Gross-Titlis-Schanze became a confirmation, the Four Hills Tournament, some hoped, could become the stage for a historic moment. Never before has a Swiss athlete won the overall ranking of this classic event over the New Year period.
The perspective is different ahead of the 74th edition. Engelberg, normally a place of confidence, became a mirror of the current problems last weekend. Deschwanden missed the final round twice. On Saturday, nuances were missing, on Sunday the jump never really started to glide. Instead of optimism, there was disillusionment. Where a year ago the ski jump carried, it now seemed bulky.
The difference is not obvious at first glance. The distances are not dramatically shorter, the basics have not disappeared. But the competition knows no subjunctive mood. "Last year, shortly before the season, I suddenly got my package together. Then I was able to call up every jump as if from a single mold," Deschwanden looks back in an interview with Keystone-SDA. "This year it's the other way around. I had the feeling that I had the package together better, but I didn't bring it to the competition."
A lack of coolness
This discrepancy was not only apparent in Engelberg. Two 10th places in the early stages of the season did not provide the basis for landing on the podium again as hoped. On the contrary: they were the outliers at the top. "I don't have the cool-headedness I had last year, when I called up the good things at the right moment," says the 34-year-old.
The inrun in particular has become a construction site. "I have the feeling that the inrun position is perfect. But I can see in the video that it's not. It's too passive," explains the Lucerne native. The inner feeling and the objective analysis diverge. This forces a dangerous combination on the veteran. "I have to put myself in a position on the run-up that isn't quite right for me. The inner feeling is wrong. And under competition pressure, it's difficult to leave this feeling behind." This is exactly what happened in Engelberg: what works in theory falls apart at the moment of truth.
The new material regulations make things even more difficult. The suits are tighter, the wing area smaller. The new suits are less forgiving of mistakes and therefore open up a bigger gap, emphasizes Deschwanden. Those who hit the perfect jump will be rewarded, those who are slightly off the mark will lose a disproportionate amount. A delicate balancing act. "I'm on the wrong side of the blade at the moment," summarizes Deschwanden.
The knowledge would be there
But there is no lack of knowledge. "I know the problem, but the implementation doesn't come across enough." The sentence seems sober, almost succinct, but describes the core of the situation. Ski jumping is a sport that thrives on emotion. Deschwanden is not a seeker without a compass, but an expert who knows the right path, but is currently not hitting it cleanly.
There are only a few seconds between take-off and landing, but in this short time a finely tuned mixture of body awareness, technique and mental calmness makes the difference between success and failure. Even the top jumpers go through highs and lows again and again. And it often only takes a little to put the success puzzle back together and restore self-confidence. But self-confidence is primarily built in competition. Exactly where the last problem was.
That's why Deschwanden is no longer traveling to the Four Hills Tournament as a co-favorite, but as a veteran with his sights wide open. A year ago he was carried by the flow, now reality is challenging him. Perhaps this is also an opportunity. Because sometimes a single jump is enough to change the side of the blade, to turn the right body feeling into wings again.
