Japan's Kobayashi among favourites in wide-open Olympic ski jumping competition

Larry Lage · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jan 14, 2022 1:51 PM EST | Last Updated: January 24, 2022

Even athletes who vie successful skis jumping and a erstwhile Olympian paid to analyse the athletics connected TV person nary thought who volition triumph golden astatine the Beijing Games.

That's due to the fact that much than a twelve men look to person a shot.

The database of contenders, though, mightiness beryllium reduced by one.

Three-time Olympic champion Kamil Stoch has an injured near limb that is knocking him retired of World Cup contention this week successful his autochthonal Poland, and the ailment jeopardizes his chances of competing successful the Olympics adjacent month.

Stoch won connected the ample elevation astatine the 2018 Olympics, elevating his presumption arsenic a superstar successful a state obsessed with skis jumping. He roseate to fame astatine the Sochi Games successful 2014, erstwhile helium won connected the ample and mean hills.

If Stoch can't vie successful China, determination are plentifulness of contenders acceptable to soar and instrumentality 1 oregon some of his titles.

Japan's Ryoyu Kobayashi is the world's top-ranked skis jumper and Germany's Karl Geiger is close down him. Some talented and experienced Norwegians — including three-time Olympic medallist Robert Johansson — are expected to besides contend successful a wide-open competition.

"Ski jumping is simply a athletics that's astir what person you done for maine lately and it's each astir who tin get blistery astatine the Olympics," said NBC expert Johnny Spillane, a three-time Nordic combined Olympian. "It's not uncommon to person a astonishment winner."

Ski jumping volition beryllium held successful the mountainous Zhangjiakou contention zone, astir 160 kilometres northwest of Beijing.

The men volition vie individually connected the mean elevation Feb. 6 and connected the ample elevation connected Feb. 12.

The women volition spell for golden connected Feb. 5 successful an idiosyncratic contention and for the archetypal time, they volition beryllium portion of a mixed squad lawsuit with men connected Feb. 7.

Ski jumpers person competed astatine the Olympics since the archetypal Winter Games successful 1924.

With technological advances successful suits and skis, the fearless athletes attack astir 100 kph before launching themselves disconnected a leap and soaring the magnitude of an American shot tract positive the extremity zones.

Ski jumpers thin guardant successful flight, astir parallel to their skis that signifier a V to instrumentality vantage of aerodynamics. They gain points for region arsenic good arsenic style, which is scrutinized by 5 judges with the debased and precocious scores eliminated.

Missing star

The athletics has attempted to code eating disorders that person historically been a problem, with regularisation changes designed to marque it a disadvantage to chopped excessively overmuch weight. The laws of physics springiness lighter jumpers an advantage, and immoderate person been consenting to spell to utmost measures to beryllium bladed to win.

"It was a bigger contented successful the past, but it volition ever beryllium portion of the conversation," Spillane said. "Lundby is fantastic and I'm atrocious she's taking the Olympics off."

Austria's Marita Kramer has been ascendant connected the World Cup circuit, winning events successful November and December aft finishing archetypal successful 3 consecutive competitions past March.

Sara Takanashi of Japan, who earned bronze astatine the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, won her 61st World Cup rubric earlier this period to widen her grounds for a pistillate oregon antheral skis jumper.

"Kramer is the strongest jumper and erstwhile she's on, she's pugnacious to beat," Spillane said. "Takanashi is the winningest skis jumper of each clip — among men oregon women — but she doesn't person a golden medal from the Olympics yet."

Still astatine it

Swiss jumper Simon Ammann — a astonishment prima astatine the Salt Lake City Games 2 decades ago, erstwhile helium won 2 golden medals — isn't done yet astatine property 40.

Ammann won 2 much golds astatine the Vancouver Games successful 2010. He appears to beryllium good past his prime, ranking No. 35 successful the World Cup standings. But if helium tin someway triumph a 5th Olympic gold, helium would interruption the grounds helium shares with the precocious Matti Nykanen of Finland. With immoderate medal, Ammann would lucifer Nykanen's people for the astir Olympic medals successful the sport's history.

The 5th and last golden medal successful skis jumping volition beryllium awarded Feb. 14 successful a squad event. Norway, Germany and Austria person won the past 3 Olympic squad events. The trio of accepted powers volition apt contend for medals. Slovenia besides has a changeable to gain a spot connected the podium.