Andreas Wellinger won the opening race of the Central European Hill Week. However, he could have been rejected already in the qualifiers.
The men’s mountain week continues on Sunday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Live broadcast on TV2, Areena and the app at 14:55.
Germany’s Andreas Wellinger made his home crowd ecstatic by winning the traditional opening race of the Central European hill week in Oberstdorf on Friday.
The Olympic winner from six years ago was second in the qualifying round in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on New Year’s Eve. All four Finns, Kasperi Valto, Niko Kytösaho, Eetu Nousiainen and Antti Aaltomade it to Sunday’s race.
The 28-year-old German jumper Wellinger is seriously fighting for the victory of the legendary tour. The previous German who won the hill week is Sven Hannawald from the 2001–2002 season, so the torment of the German audience is long.
However, Wellinger’s victory in the opening race has caused gravel noises. According to NRK she competed in Thursday’s qualifying in a jumpsuit with a hole in the armpit.
The hole was visible in the armpit of Wellinger’s jumpsuit as he celebrated the qualifying win on Thursday to the delight of 16,300 home fans.
Director of measurement and dressage tests of the International Skiing Federation FIS Christian Kathol stated after the race to NRK that Wellinger could have been disqualified. If he had been rejected, the German would not have been seen in Friday’s race.
Kathol didn’t notice the hole yet in qualifying. Kathol heard about it for the first time on Friday, when NRK showed a picture of that part in a jumpsuit.
– He was not at the inspection with me. I didn’t have a chance to see it, Kathol commented to NRK.
– If he was here and I had seen the suit, it would have been rejected, he added.
After the qualification, jumpers are randomly selected for inspection.
– In this case, he was really lucky.
Kathol points out, however, that there is no certainty as to when or how the hole came about.
“Party too hard”
NRK tried to inquire about the case from Germany’s head coach From Stefan Horngacher. However, he disappeared from the scene in the middle of the interview.
Wellinger himself found the clear cause of the hole. He was number one in that qualifying competition.
– It’s because I partied too hard.
Former top ski jumper and current expert at NRK Johan Remen Evensen saw that Wellinger should have been disqualified.
– If he had been taken in for a dress check, he would have been rejected. That’s how I see it, Evensen stated.
– There is no certainty that the suit tore when he was in the air or when he landed. It could have happened while he was partying, Evensen added.
According to Kathol, no country protested Wellinger’s jumpsuit.
Evensen sees that Wellinger did not get significant help from the hole. Vice versa.
– It is not an advantage for Wellinger, but a disadvantage. The reason the suit broke is that it is sewn tightly from the arm to the chest, Evensen revealed.
The men’s mountain week continues on Sunday with the Garmisch-Partenkirchen race. Live broadcast on TV2, Areena and the app at 14:55.
Women’s hill race on Sunday in Oberstdorf. Live broadcast at Areena at 5:10 p.m. and broadcast at TV2 at 6 p.m.
Mountain week started on Friday in Oberstdorf, Germany. Below are the results of the opening race.
1) Andreas Wellinger GER 309.3 points (139.5-128 meters)
2) Ryoyu Kobayashi JPN 306.3 (134.5-129)
3) Stefan Kraft AUT 298.9 (132.5-125)
4) Lovro Kos SLO 289.7 (123-139.5)
5) Marius Lindvik NOR 286.1 (132-127)
6) Philipp Raimund GER 286.0 (128.5-135)
7) Karl Geiger GER 285.4 (133.5-122.5)
8) Jan Hörl AUT 285.1 (123.5-127.5)
34) Antti Aalto FIN 116.3 (119.5)
35) Kasperi Valto FIN 115.6 (120)
38) Eetu Nousiainen FIN 114.8 (116.5)
42) Niko Kytösaho FIN 108.7 (113.5)