Clicca qui per la versione italiana
I arrive under the Innsbruck hill at around 10 (the race starts at 10.30). Unfortunately, the parking lot is more than a kilometer away, and does not even look like a parking lot, more like an industrial area. I was expecting a parking lot like in a football stadium and in fact, I remembered something like that when I went to the Four Hills' race in 2001.
Thanks also to a slight delay in the beginning, I arrive while no. 2 is jumping. There are not many people, the topmost sectors are completely empty. This time the Austrians are clearly prevalent, then there are the usual Norwegian and a few Germans, but less than I expected: one of them also has a Jamaican flag (a country not present). I am before the lowest point of the track: from my position you do not see much of the run-off, nor the take-off, but you can clearly see the flight and landing. The slope of the braking zone is impressive
The scoreboard does not give the results, so much so that for some time I think they are still the test jumps: given the bad weather a postponement would have been possible. Among other things, I curse not having brought my umbrella, but then I will find out that it was my luck. The results are given from n. 21, just in time for the first Italian, who jumps immediately after. The one after him makes a monster jump, and only after he has landed I find out that he is another Italian, Aaron Kostner. Italian also for the speaker, and that's not obvious, given that usually the Austrians do not say that South Tyroleans are Italian, they always call them South Tyroleans. He takes the lead by over a minute, he will remain first until n. 36 and will close 18th. After n. 25 the race is suspended for 10-15 minutes: there will be other shorter suspensions and 3 lowerings of gates. Frenzel makes the best jump and there the Germans make themselves heard, Pittin instead dissappoints and closes 38th.
After the race, I decide to go to the Innsbruck station and from there take the train to Seefeld. The train is full of Norwegian fans: as I wear the bib with Italian colours, one of them asks me if I am part of the Italian team. I thought I had a lot of time, but at the end I arrived at the stadium only about ten minutes before the start. Compared to other days, it is more difficult to walk in the snow, made slippery by the rain. At the entrance to the stadium I see two stacks of umbrellas, which are not allowed inside: I am thankful for not bringing it.
The stands are much more empty than yesterday: it is easy to find a place. They will later say that the spectators are 8,400. There are many Germans, although more in the A tribune than in mine. The race is on 4 laps, in each of which the athletes pass twice in the stadium. The first 4, who started in a 10 seconds' range, immediately make a group, and while they are tactical, the others come back: the gap falls from 50 seconds to less than 20 and for a while it seems that they can catch them. On the last lap, each one in turn tries to attack, but it is Frenzel who launches the decisive attack and arrives alone on the final straight. A sprint for the second place, won by a Norwegian: the Austrians are left with the bronze. The Italians all come back: Kostner closes 13th, Pittin 22nd.
After the race, I stop at the store, even to warm up: the queue discourages a bit, but I decide to buy anyway. In the queue meet two ladies of the Italian staff: one tells of collecting mascots, and that the only place where they did not sell them was Sochi. Then I arrive at the Medal Plaza at 5:50 pm: the awards ceremonies had to start at 6 pm, but I find out that they were postponed until 6.30 pm. They were in fact scheduled every half hour, and I wondered why an award ceremony lasted so much: now they are every 15 minutes, and in fact will last 13-14 minutes each. In the meantime there is a DJ who entertains us.
At the beginning of the awards the square is full, especially of Germans and Norwegians. The first 6 take the stage: the podium has a fourth step, lower and wider, for the fourth to sixth placed. The award ceremony follows an unusual pattern: only after the athletes are all on the podium are the medals distributed. Each medalist also receives a gadget, which for the Nordic combined is distributed by the German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen, who is whistled at: everyone wonders what she has to do with the event. The Norwegian anthem is heard, but not very much: it seems that everyone is singing it, but in a whisper. When the German anthem is played, instead, at the beginning few sing it , then they increase (and I sing it too, for what I know). The ceremonies end with the fireworks
Tomorrow I have to choose whether to go to watch jumping or cross-country: I'm leaning for the first one. If I were a successful blogger, maybe I would let the fans choose, but if I were a successful blogger, maybe I would not be a common spectator anymore.
Thanks also to a slight delay in the beginning, I arrive while no. 2 is jumping. There are not many people, the topmost sectors are completely empty. This time the Austrians are clearly prevalent, then there are the usual Norwegian and a few Germans, but less than I expected: one of them also has a Jamaican flag (a country not present). I am before the lowest point of the track: from my position you do not see much of the run-off, nor the take-off, but you can clearly see the flight and landing. The slope of the braking zone is impressive
The scoreboard does not give the results, so much so that for some time I think they are still the test jumps: given the bad weather a postponement would have been possible. Among other things, I curse not having brought my umbrella, but then I will find out that it was my luck. The results are given from n. 21, just in time for the first Italian, who jumps immediately after. The one after him makes a monster jump, and only after he has landed I find out that he is another Italian, Aaron Kostner. Italian also for the speaker, and that's not obvious, given that usually the Austrians do not say that South Tyroleans are Italian, they always call them South Tyroleans. He takes the lead by over a minute, he will remain first until n. 36 and will close 18th. After n. 25 the race is suspended for 10-15 minutes: there will be other shorter suspensions and 3 lowerings of gates. Frenzel makes the best jump and there the Germans make themselves heard, Pittin instead dissappoints and closes 38th.
After the race, I decide to go to the Innsbruck station and from there take the train to Seefeld. The train is full of Norwegian fans: as I wear the bib with Italian colours, one of them asks me if I am part of the Italian team. I thought I had a lot of time, but at the end I arrived at the stadium only about ten minutes before the start. Compared to other days, it is more difficult to walk in the snow, made slippery by the rain. At the entrance to the stadium I see two stacks of umbrellas, which are not allowed inside: I am thankful for not bringing it.
The stands are much more empty than yesterday: it is easy to find a place. They will later say that the spectators are 8,400. There are many Germans, although more in the A tribune than in mine. The race is on 4 laps, in each of which the athletes pass twice in the stadium. The first 4, who started in a 10 seconds' range, immediately make a group, and while they are tactical, the others come back: the gap falls from 50 seconds to less than 20 and for a while it seems that they can catch them. On the last lap, each one in turn tries to attack, but it is Frenzel who launches the decisive attack and arrives alone on the final straight. A sprint for the second place, won by a Norwegian: the Austrians are left with the bronze. The Italians all come back: Kostner closes 13th, Pittin 22nd.
After the race, I stop at the store, even to warm up: the queue discourages a bit, but I decide to buy anyway. In the queue meet two ladies of the Italian staff: one tells of collecting mascots, and that the only place where they did not sell them was Sochi. Then I arrive at the Medal Plaza at 5:50 pm: the awards ceremonies had to start at 6 pm, but I find out that they were postponed until 6.30 pm. They were in fact scheduled every half hour, and I wondered why an award ceremony lasted so much: now they are every 15 minutes, and in fact will last 13-14 minutes each. In the meantime there is a DJ who entertains us.
At the beginning of the awards the square is full, especially of Germans and Norwegians. The first 6 take the stage: the podium has a fourth step, lower and wider, for the fourth to sixth placed. The award ceremony follows an unusual pattern: only after the athletes are all on the podium are the medals distributed. Each medalist also receives a gadget, which for the Nordic combined is distributed by the German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen, who is whistled at: everyone wonders what she has to do with the event. The Norwegian anthem is heard, but not very much: it seems that everyone is singing it, but in a whisper. When the German anthem is played, instead, at the beginning few sing it , then they increase (and I sing it too, for what I know). The ceremonies end with the fireworks
Tomorrow I have to choose whether to go to watch jumping or cross-country: I'm leaning for the first one. If I were a successful blogger, maybe I would let the fans choose, but if I were a successful blogger, maybe I would not be a common spectator anymore.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento