Skispringen Willingen 2026: Geiger podium, German women top-10, Sunday up next
Saturday’s World Cup stop in Willingen delivered exactly what an Olympic warmup weekend in Willingen Sauerland is supposed to: shifting wind, packed stands, and a results sheet that reshuffled expectations days before the Games. For fans searching skispringen heute, the headline is a surprise German podium on the men’s side and a near-miss for the women, with Sunday’s encore already on deck at the Mühlenkopfschanze.
With the willingen skispringen program running as a doubleheader (women first, men later), the weekend has also become a viewing puzzle—especially for anyone trying to find an ard live stream or ard live tv slot alongside the more consistent ZDF and Eurosport coverage.
Skispringen Willingen: Saturday podiums at the Mühlenkopf
The men’s individual on the HS147 hill ended with a familiar winner at the very top and a notable German twist behind him: Karl Geiger jumped onto the podium in front of the home crowd, a timely result in a season that has otherwise been uneven for him.
On the women’s side, Germany again showed depth, even if the podium stayed just out of reach. Selina Freitag and Katharina Schmid both finished inside the top 10, underlining why skispringen willingen 2026 has felt like a genuine form check ahead of February.
| Event (HS147, Willingen) | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Start time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s individual (Sat.) | Eirin Maria Kvandal | Nika Prevc | Nozomi Maruyama | 7:15 a.m. ET |
| Men’s individual (Sat.) | Domen Prevc | Ren Nikaido | Karl Geiger | 10:00 a.m. ET |
| Women’s individual (Sun.) | Scheduled | Scheduled | Scheduled | 7:15 a.m. ET |
| Men’s individual (Sun.) | Scheduled | Scheduled | Scheduled | 10:00 a.m. ET |
| Men’s qualification (Sun.) | Qualification | Qualification | Qualification | 5:45 a.m. ET |
Karl Geiger’s statement moment before the Games
Geiger’s third place stood out for context as much as distance. He has been fighting for consistency this winter, and his weekend in Willingen skispringen 2026 became a reminder that his ceiling remains high when the timing clicks—especially on a large hill that can punish small technical errors.
The result also added intrigue to Germany’s men’s picture right before Olympic competition begins. A single World Cup podium doesn’t rewrite selection decisions on its own, but it can change the tone around a team’s momentum—particularly with a second men’s competition in Willingen on Sunday.
Katharina Schmid and Selina Freitag keep Germany close
The women’s competition delivered a strong but slightly frustrating German storyline: solid jumping across the team, no medal. Germany’s best finisher was Agnes Reisch in fourth, with Selina Freitag sixth and Katharina Schmid eighth—three top-10 placements that reflect real competitiveness, but also how tight the margins are at the top.
For Schmid, the Willingen stop is part of an important late-January stretch: a chance to lock in confidence and equipment choices before the Olympic schedule compresses everything into a few high-stakes rounds. For Freitag, another top-10 adds to a season where she has repeatedly shown she can hang with the leaders when conditions turn variable.
How to watch: ARD live stream, ARD stream, and what’s actually airing
A lot of viewers in Germany look for an ARD stream out of habit, because winter sports coverage rotates between public broadcasters. This weekend, the most straightforward live options have been the ZDF sports stream and Eurosport’s live channels.
That said, anyone searching “ard live stream” for Willingen should expect a mix of possibilities rather than one guaranteed “press play” destination:
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Live coverage for this Willingen weekend has been widely listed under ZDF (Free-TV + online) and Eurosport (TV + subscription streaming).
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ARD’s winter sports ecosystem can still matter through schedule listings, live tickers, clips, and, at times, simulcasts or alternate streams hosted under the Sportschau umbrella—availability can vary by event and day.
The simplest approach for Sunday viewing is to treat ZDF’s live stream as the primary reference, then cross-check ARD’s Sportschau listings if you specifically prefer an ARD-branded player or companion coverage.
Sunday in Willingen Sauerland: another test, same pressure
Sunday brings the same basic structure: women’s competition first, then the men, with qualification earlier in the day. The stakes are quietly high. Back-to-back events at the same hill can reveal whether Saturday’s results were a one-off—or a true shift in form.
If Prevc stays dominant, the story becomes “who can challenge him” rather than “can he win.” If Germany repeats multiple top-10 finishes—especially with another men’s podium contender and women pushing back toward medals—then the the key takeaway from the wrecking? Not here—this weekend’s “wrecking crew” is the wind, and it’s testing everyone’s timing before the Olympic spotlight arrives.
Sources consulted: FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation), ZDF, Eurosport, Sport.de, Skispringen.com