A first taste of the tallest hills in Olympic history looms before ski jumpers at the Winter Games in the Italian Alps this weekend, unsettling even the most seasoned competitors.
Czech Jakub Janda heads into the normal hill final at the 2006 Turin Games on Sunday with a narrow overall World Cup lead over five-times world champion Janne Ahonen of Finland.
Yet the Czech’s coaches were not in a betting mood as their favourite prepared for Pragelato’s 106m hill — more than ten metres over the usual ”normal”. A qualifying round is due on Saturday for lower ranked competitors.
The ”long” 140m hill event, among the biggest of the season, is due to follow a week later.
”Janda’s results show he might be a medal chance but I don’t want to bet. We’ll see,” said Czech ski jump director Leo Skoda.
As strong winds billowing around the slope forced the cancellation of training on Thursday, Pragelato served up a few quirks of its own to spice up the competition.
Apart from the size and wind, ice and the thin air at an altitude of 1 523m are adding to the inherent dangers highlighted in three accidents just this week.
Italian jumpers Stefano Chiapolino and Marco Beltrame were forced out of their home Winter Olympics after being injured in falls during training in the east of the country.
Competitors just have helmets but little in the way of body protection. Rules limit the thickness and size of one-piece jumpsuits to stop them being used as virtual wings.
In training for the Nordic Combined jump at Pragelato on Thursday, Norway’s Havard Klemetsen was given a neck brace and helicoptered off to hospital as a precaution following a tumble after landing.
Although organisers did not tie the cancellations to his fall, the wind and ice are casting a chill amongst competitors.
”As we saw last year at the Pragelato World Cup event the back wind can be quite strong there but that is also what ski-jumping is about: luck,” Skoda said, commenting on conditions that can push a competitor to the ground.
”Whoever gets the back wind obviously has no chance for a long jump.”
Ice that coats the landing area — especially during the floodlit events after dark — is another concern.
Coaches also pointed to the altitude and the thinner air, which reduces the amount of lift available and potentially favours lighter jumpers.
”The altitude in Pragelato will make the competition very special. It is not like many other places so I think it could cause many suprises during the competitions,” said Germany’s assistant trainer Peter Bucher.
Bucher is still holding out for a medal despite the German jumpers’ struggling form.
The Swiss are also hinting that Andreas Kuettel, currently third in the World Cup, might relish the conditions to emulate his compatriot and 2002 double Olympic gold medallist Simon Ammann.
”We trained in St Moritz and we also liked the hills in Salt Lake very much. They are about the same altitude as Pragelato and we are happy to jump again in this altitude,” said Swiss coach Berni Schodler.
Although jumpers are outwardly reserved, their short career on the thin end of the wedge is enough to fray the best of nerves.
Janda freely admits he is highly strung and, judging by their hobbies, many jumpers enjoy life in the fast lane even when they are not hurtling through thin air.
Former Olympic champion and four times world title winner Matti Nykaenen, now 41, slumped into alcoholism after his retirement.
Last November he was charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a friend in Finland during a drunken brawl. – AFP
