The men’s hill qualifying is on the World Cup program on Thursday at 18:30. Live broadcast on TV2, Areena and the app. See the entire competition program at this link.
The poor ski jumping performances of Finnish athletes have once again become a topic of conversation at the World Championships in Nordic skiing in Planica.
Of course, the hill jumping team went to the top in the mixed team hill, when Finland was historically sixth. Jenny Rautionaho has also achieved the best WC performances of his career. Otherwise, there has been no reason for a big celebration. In the men’s normal hill race, the best Finns were Antti Aalto ranked 24th and Niko Kytösaho in 27th place.
The combined national team’s jumps have again left much to be desired.
Hopes were high in Finnish ski jumping when Mika Kojonkoski started last May as ski jumping and combined sport director.
– Changes are expected in Finnish ski jumping as a whole. You don’t need to be an expert to say that one Mika Kojonkoski doesn’t make a summer. Finnish ski jumping has fundamental problems. Those difficulties come from far away, Urheilu’s expert and ski jumping legend Janne Ahonen says.
One Mika Kojonkoski does not make a summer and a year is a short time. So what has he accomplished?
– Can you say that you’ve done a lot of work? The culture of working should continue to be taught. The foundations should be fixed. Maybe we are focusing too much on finishing. The foundation stone is unfinished, Ahonen states.
This is how Kojonkoski responds to criticism
Kojonkoski himself states that he has seen better jumping from Finns this season than before.
Kojonkoski raises, for example, the winner of the youth world championship Vilho Palosaren and by the way, the Finnish team that fought for the medal in the youth team competition. Palosaari became the first Finnish junior ski jumping world champion in 18 years.
– It is something exceptional, Kojonkoski emphasizes.
According to Kojonkoski, international competition is accelerating all the time.
– Climbing up is not easy, says Kojonkoski.
According to Urheilu’s ski jumping and combined experts, skill training has started to be done at the expense of physics in Finland.
Kojonkoski, on the other hand, says that skill training has been increased and physical training has been tried to be included in the same package. A special focus has been the effort movement of ski jumping.
– We have tried to emphasize that the effort is not crushing, but a long movement. It requires long contact with the bow of the jumper, says Kojonkoski.
Kojonkoski emphasizes that the effort of ski jumping is done on a slippery surface.
– It’s an eight-meter effort. It takes a lot of skill.
Kojonkoski considers the importance of physical training to be very important. According to the meritorious Finnish coach, the right kind of physical training is even more important.
– We do the right kind of strength training that supports the development of technique. The effort of a hill jump is 0.4 seconds and 8 meters. It cannot be consciously controlled. The effort must be built at the level of the spinal cord. That’s what this is all about, says Kojonkoski.
Ahonen does not fully subscribe to Kojonkoski’s thoughts – he throws the ball to the athletes as well
Sports legend Janne Ahonen does not completely swallow Kojonkoski’s words.
– I understand that skill training is a more important part today than it was in my own time. But you don’t become a hill jumper if you can juggle nicely on balance pads, says Ahonen.
Ahonen raises the standard pole world champion Pole as a point of comparison Piotr Zylan.
– Yes, he hit the bow so hard that the diving table is probably still shaking. Finnish boys have terrible differences and deficiencies in physics compared to the top in the world, Ahonen emphasizes.
According to Ahonen, physics is the basis of everything.
– You have to work for that. Then when it’s in order, you have the conditions to be a good hill jumper. Then, on top of that, getting the skills right and finishing and everything else like that, it’s time to wait for the results, says Ahonen.
Kojonkoski says that he is involved in everyday life in Kuopio, primarily the coaches Lauri Hakolan and Kimmo Savolainen with. However, according to Kojonkoski, his task is not primarily to coach himself, but to spar with the coaches.
Ahonen now needs a clear leader and trend setter in the Finnish sports family.
– I don’t know if we are sparring at this point? Ahonen questions.
Five-time world champion Ahonen also asks the athletes to take responsibility.
– Athletes can afford to develop, focus and think about what they are ready for. Is it enough to get the cap of the World Cup team and get into the team, or are you ready to take the next step to pursue success? Ahonen throws the ball at the end of the conversation.
Watch the entire discussion on the state of Finnish ski jumping in the recording below. In addition to Janne Ahonen, Urheilu’s expert and Petter Kukkonen, who has been the head coach of the united national team for a long time, will be participating in the discussion.