Gregor Deschwanden looks focused. The last few percent towards last year's top form are still missing
Image: Keystone
Sina Arnet looks back on a successful start to the season
Image: Keystone
Gregor Deschwanden looks focused. The last few percent towards last year's top form are still missing
Image: Keystone
Sina Arnet looks back on a successful start to the season
Image: Keystone
The World Cup competitions in Engelberg are regarded as an important yardstick for the Winter Games. So far, only Sina Arnet and Gregor Deschwanden have proved to be Olympic-caliber.
19.12.2025, 05:01
19.12.2025, 06:51
SDA
The Swiss ski jumpers are traveling to their home World Cup with mixed feelings. At the end of the first competition block, they feel beaten below their best. Team leader Gregor Deschwanden got off to a good start, but still failed to make the hoped-for upward leap. The Lucerne native regularly jumps into the points, has already made it into the top ten twice in Falun and Ruka with 10th place, but recently missed the next step towards the podium. In Klingenthal and previously in Wisla, he fell short of his own expectations. Although Deschwanden confirms his role as the most consistent Swiss athlete, he also shows that he currently lacks the final sharpness compared to the world's best.
There is a gap behind him. Simon Ammann continues to collect World Cup points at the age of 44, but has rarely been in the final round of the top 30. His jumps are not yet good enough to fulfill an eighth Olympic standard.
The younger jumpers such as Sandro Hauswirth, Juri Kesseli and Felix Trunz show flashes of brilliance in phases, but struggle with consistency. At the beginning of the season, it was actually assumed that Engelberg would offer everyone a chance to position themselves in the internal competition for the three Olympic tickets. It is now apparent that the pleasing results of the summer, with some of them qualifying for half of the Olympics, could not be seamlessly carried over into the winter. Neither the veterans Simon Ammann and Killian Peier nor the three youngsters fully met the selection criteria.
Beaten below value
"The mood in the team is not bad. We are more broadly based than before," Deschwanden, who will be traveling to the Olympic Games for the fourth time after Sochi, Pyeonchang and Beijing, told Keystone-SDA. "We know that we are currently being beaten below our best. We often don't get the good jumps into the competition." An Olympic qualification is still in the cards for everyone. "We've worked well and made progress as a team." The summer has shown that, the 34-year-old from Lucerne affirms. "Now we need a weekend where the pendulum swings to our side."
In the women's event, the focus is particularly on Sina Arnet. The 20-year-old from Engelberg is the bright spot in the Swiss team. She has consistently jumped into the top 25 this season and exceeded expectations. Sina Arnet wants to confirm her positive development in front of her home crowd.
Switzerland has more breadth in ski jumping than ever before, but the results are not good enough to compete at the top. It was a different story a year ago. Back then, Deschwanden positioned himself as co-favorite for the Four Hills Tournament in Engelberg with 3rd and 5th place and fifth overall in the World Cup intermediate ranking.
Such fantasies would require a significant leap in performance. But Deschwanden and his teammates are currently lagging behind their expectations. The additional training jumps during the week, which the Swiss team receives on the Gross-Titlis hill, should help to lay the foundations for a successful weekend. The path to the Olympic Games in Predazzo is open, but still requires a lot of work.
Serial winner Domen Prevc
From an international perspective, the Prevc family takes center stage. Of the three brothers Peter, Cene and Domen Prevc, Domen is still active. He has won the last four competitions in a row and leads the overall World Cup rankings ahead of Japan's Ryoyu Kobayashi and compatriot Anze Lanisek.
A Prevc also dominates the women's event. Nika Prevc, Domen Prevc's sister, is one of the front runners. She has won three of the eight World Cup competitions so far.
The program includes two World Cup competitions each on Saturday and Sunday. The women's competition will take place at midday, followed by the men's competition.
