Janne Ahonen was troubled by his two first places in his career.
The progress of the women’s mountain race in Engelberg, Switzerland, was hampered on Sunday due to poor conditions. In the end, the race had to be stopped.
Narrator during the race Mikko Hannula and a commentator, a Finnish sports legend Janne Ahonen have time to remember the past.
Finland’s previous first place in the Men’s Ski Jumping World Cup and at the same time the most recent place on the podium is from January 2014. At that time Anssi Koivuranta won the one-lap race in Innsbruck during the Central European Hill Week.
In his career, among other things, Ahonen, who has achieved several World Cup competition victories and a record five victories in the Central European hill week, took the first victory of his career also in difficult conditions, in a one-lap race.
16-year-old Ahonen celebrated his opening victory 31 years ago in Engelberg.
– Then young Janne Ahonen accidentally won, when the race was shortened to one round, Ahonen recalled.
Ahonen had not yet dreamed of winning at that point. The top three was legendary Jens Weissflog.
– It was a shame when Weissflog was next to him on a lower podium. He lost to me as a victim of circumstances, so I was ashamed at that point.
Weissflog congratulated the teenager Ahos profusely.
– He was my idol at that point, even though there were already competitors.
Nimmari was not asked by the future Golden Eagle.
– I didn’t collect before that, nor after that.
Embarrassed again
Ahonen also told about his other experience in unstable conditions. In the 1995 Central European Hill Week, he was given a second jump.
With that, young Ahonen won the entire race.
Embarrassed again.
– In the international press, I was asked how it feels to win the legendary Garmisch-Partenkirchen hill race. I said that anyone can win it, as long as you can jump until you succeed.
He was disgusted by his first failed performance. In training, he had always jumped great.
– I also had the longest jump of the test round before the competition. Then I bumped into a snowball and thought I’d go to bed. The race was over and I was content with my fate.
The head coach Hannu Lepistön information came through that Ahos has the opportunity to renew his jumps.
At first he had a different opinion.
– I replied that this is for me here. However, I was pushed to the tower and eventually I jumped the hill record, Ahonen said.
Worth it.