BERLIN: Defending champion Severin Freund has said he is ready to fly at this weekend's World Cup ski-jumping event in Japan's Sapporo, despite not being fully recovered from a back injury.
The 27-year-old, who won the 2014/15 overall World Cup title, suffered a herniated disc in a fall in Innsbruck on January 3 and sat out last weekend's Zakopane World Cup event.
He will jump in Japan despite not being completely fit.
"With a combination of intensive physiotherapy and light training I have got myself ready and now I'll try to use the competition to refine my jumping," said Freund.
"It's great that after missing Zakopane, I can get back in action in Japan," said Freund.
"I really like the conditions there, but the hill is very special -- you need the right conditions to be able to jump really far."
Germany's head coach Werner Schuster said he is pleased to have his top athlete back in the team, even if he is it not 100 percent fit.
"Severin Freund has come back to us in good condition," he said.
"He wants to put on a good show for the Japanese fans and is very pleased to be returning to Sapporo, where he won his first World Cup in 2011."
The German is currently second on the World Cup standings 305 points behind leader Peter Prevc of Slovenia, who was third in Zakopane behind winner Stefan Kraft of Austria.
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