Hoffmann and Raimund make Germany’s ski jumpers cheer in Lillehammer

Felix Hoffmann delivered a breakthrough performance at the men’s World Cup individual in Lillehammer, Norway, clinching the first podium of his career. The 28‑year‑old German jumped 139.5 m and 138.0 m to place third.

Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi took the victory with jumps of 138.0 m and 139.5 m, while Slovenia’s Domen Prevc was second with 140.0 m and 139.0 m. Germany’s Philipp Raimund finished fourth after jumps of 134.5 m and 137.5 m, missing the podium by only 0.8 points.

Hoffmann said he was "very satisfied" that he put together two good jumps, calling the result "very cool." Head coach Stefan Horngacher praised Hoffmann—saying he deserved the podium—and noted the overall standard is extremely high with small errors producing large distance differences. He also remarked that the Austrian team, dominant the day before, missed the top three this time, with Stefan Kraft the best Austrian in fifth.

Behind the front-running Germans, Karl Geiger (23rd) and Pius Paschke (27th) showed minor improvement from a difficult Saturday, though Geiger described Lillehammer’s hill as “tough” when timing isn’t perfect. Andreas Wellinger cleared qualification after missing it the previous day, but at 39th he did not reach the final round, saying progress is coming step by step.

Horngacher concluded that Wellinger, Paschke, and Geiger are getting closer but still need time, while the team can be encouraged by Hoffmann’s first podium and Raimund’s fifth career top‑five finish.