A total of 13 athletes will represent the German team at the two home competitions in Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Besides the World Cup team, a national group will also get the chance to compete there.

Severin Freund, Richard Freitag, Andreas Wank, Michael Neumayer, Markus Eisenbichler, Marinus Kraus and Stephan Leyhe are on the team of head coach Werner Schuster. The national group will consist of Sebastian Bradatsch, Tim Fuchs, Karl Geiger, Martin Hamann, Daniel Wenig and Paul Winter.

"The jumpers for the national group in Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen were named after a training camp of the B- and C-Team in Engelberg. These young athletes have no pressure and shall show their best performances and gain experience on the big stage of the 4-Hills-Tournament", Schuster is quoted in a media release of the German Ski Association.

Freund can fight for overall victory

As most experts, the German coach doesn't want to name a favorite before the start of the 4-Hills-Tournament. "The World Cup competitions so far showed the high level on which the world's best athletes compete. Currently there is no dominating athlete, and so the best 10 jumpers in the World Cup must be considered favorites for the 4-Hills-Tournament."

For the Austrian, his top jumper, of course, also has a chance to be among the best. "With Severin Freund we have an athlete, who has established himself in this top group and therefore is able to fight for the overall victory. At the moment Severin can achieve top results by his own strength, he proved that this winter with two podium results and his win in Nizhny Tagil. This is necessary in order to be successful at the 4-Hills-Tournament."

Severin Freund is looking forward to the first highlight this season. "The combination of tradition and sporting demand makes the 4-Hills-Tournament special. Not to forget, the fantastic home crowd, that will create a great atmosphere in the arenas. My preparation for this 4-Hills-Tournament went according to plan so far. I got myself into a good shape over the past weeks and so I have a good starting position to be among the best. I'm very satisfied with my two podium finishes and the win in this World Cup season. I'm confident for this 4-Hills-Tournament and I want to fight for the win."

His teammate Richard Freitag, who won in Engelberg last weekend, is also looking forward to this upcoming task. "After the break due to an illness, I was able to get the best out of the weekend in Engelberg. Good jumps are fun, give you self-confidence and put a smile on your face. Others are the favorites at the 4-Hills-Tournament. I'm really looking forward to absorb the special atmosphere and rock the four hills, in order achieve a positive result for myself."

Youngster Stephan Leyhe, veteran Michael Neumayer

For Stephan Leyhe, who made his World Cup debut in Engelberg, the dream of participating in the 4-Hills-Tournament is coming true this year. "I'm really looking forward to my first 4-Hills-Tournament. It would be great if it goes as well as my first World Cup competition in Engelberg. Because there I was able to show a great performance and score World Cup points for the first time in my career. The weekend in Engelberg was a lot of fun. Now I'm looking forward to the opening event in Oberstdorf and I want to show my best possible performance at the 4-Hills."

While it will be a premiere for Leyhe, it's already the 12th 4-Hills-Tournament for veteran Michael Neumayer. But still it's something special for him as well. "Although I take part for the 12th time, it's not something you get used to. On the contrary: The fascination of this traditional event is still huge. This special mix of sports and emotion is unique. The competitions in front of the home crowd are fascinating, even for a veteran like me. This winter I had jumps on a good level, but I was lacking consistency. If I'm able to show my training jumps in the competition, I'm confident that my experience can be an advantage for me at the 4-Hills."