Central European mountain week culminates on Epiphany Friday on channels. Watch the decisive race of the tour on TV2 and Areena from 17:25.
The theme of the eternity of the Hill Jumping World Cup made headlines again during Hill Week. The differences, rejections and non-rejections that can be seen with the eyes of the jumpsuits have spoken widely. Sports expert Janne Ahonen reminds us that there has been a lot of talk about suits for years.
– The discussion has already started when the rules started to be tightened. Now it has been very noticeable how the teams’ uniforms have changed from, for example, the competitions of Ruka’s opening weekend. In the first races, we will be a little more careful and see how the control plays out. Then we start thinking about whether something can be done, explains the five-time winner of Mäki Week.
FIS tries to control the size of the diving suits with measurements. However, the situation is not the former head coach of the combined national team Petter Kukkonen be transparent because the measurements are carried out behind closed doors one team at a time.
Read more: “Secret society activity behind closed doors” – playing with jumpsuits heated up emotions during hill week, an expert criticizes the measurements
Currently, teams are trying to experiment and stretch the limits of costume control. A larger suit increases the jumper’s carrying area.
– It’s a shame that the control doesn’t work in such a way that it could be eradicated. On the other hand, let everyone have too big suits and crotch too low, as long as the treatment and control is equal, Ahonen downloads.
For several athletes, Ahonen’s attention has been focused specifically on the hip and crotch area.
– That area is starting to be quite a sack of potatoes in suits, he says directly.
According to mountain legend, it’s easier to name jumpers who don’t have this. For example, according to Ahonen, the jumpers in Japan have been really strict when it comes to costumes.
– If you look Ryouy Kobayashi’s costume, it’s nowhere near these wildest cases.
According to Ahonen, this can partly explain the weak early season of the Japanese hill team.
Finland should be involved in the arms race
The Finnish team has also tested the limits of control. Eetu Nousiainen was rejected in the qualifying competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
– The Finnish team and the jumpers are really well involved in this game, as they should be. It is in the hands of the controller who will be rejected in the games, Ahonen explains the situation.
According to Ahonen, dressing up is mandatory if you want to be successful.
– If you go up a hill wearing a skimpy shell, you won’t get anywhere, says the mountain legend.
The unevenness of the control has been raised as a problem. The system does not seem to be fair, but sometimes even unfair. Ahonen emphasizes that he does not know who will be in the costume control after the games or what exactly happens in the control booth. However, he sees the jumpers as being in an unequal position.
– Athletes who are often rejected are those who would not have made it to the second round or would not have qualified for the competition. After this, the control staff can say that “look, even now there are two or three rejected jumpers on the results list, yes the control is playing”, Ahonen criticizes the system.
He does not believe that the FIS would now intervene in the costume gimmicks of star jumpers in tough hill countries. The stakes in hill week are too hard.
– FIS doesn’t dare, especially during hill week. If now On Granerud (Halvor Egner) or at Kuback (Dawid) is a little loose in the thigh, it is not affected. Let both jump in big suits and decide who is better, Ahonen says about the activities of the International Ski Federation.