Severin Freund strolled casually in jeans through the artificial snow on Schattenberg. At the start of the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf, the 34-year-old was no longer active after his retirement, but as a private individual. Freund led his daughter through the interview zone by the hand. Again and again he checked the live standings of the jumping on his cell phone, which he partially missed because he spent around 30 minutes answering questions.

melancholy? The team world champion and Olympic champion hardly felt it. "It's something completely different, but something very nice when you can have a relaxed Christmas and drive to Oberstdorf on the day of the competition," he said. The Lower Bavarian was able to enjoy the scenery to the full once again, saying goodbye in front of 25,000 fans in the sold-out World Cup arena in Allgäu. "The spectators here are amazing," said Freund into the stadium microphone.

Freund does not yet know how he wants to shape his future in detail. He can well imagine working with young ski jumpers. "I said that I wanted to take more time to think about putting the whole thing on a new footing. Something will definitely happen," said Freund, who is already active as a scout in the German Ski Association (DSV).

He still likes to watch the pros. "It's an interested look that's also fun on the sofa. It's just a very, very cool sport." But this time he wants to follow the New Year's competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on TV.

News about the German ski jumpers The standings in the overall World Cup News about the Four Hills Tournament Information about the competition in Oberstdorf Fis profile friend