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I have chosen to go to watch jumping in Innsbruck, but this time leaving my car at the station. Already around 12.45 I see people going to the hill (the race starts at 14.30). From the station there is a tram every half hour, and I'm lucky to find one about to leave (I had not studied the timetable). There are a few people going to the race, but they are a minority. The crowd who go on foot deceive two Japanese, who get down in advance (I knew the right stop for seeing it yesterday). The panorama is beautiful, first the centre of Innsbruck, then the mountains. After getting down from the tram, in the last stretch towards the gates, I meet a group of Poles and a Japanese family with two young children.
I enter the stadium when trial jumps are halfway. The sector is much fuller than yesterday, but not so much to struggle to find a place. Sectors A to D (I am in C) are almost completely full, those higher up and those on the other side of the hill are almost completely empty. I will later hear that the spectators are 11,000: few, according to the locals. I settle among Austrians, on my right a group with jackets dedicated to the Tyrolean Aschenwald, who will arrive 13th. The most common flag is red and white, similar but not the same as the Austrian one, given at the entrance by a sponsor (a beer). There are also many Germans and Poles, the latter mainly in seats on top: some seem to struggle to stand up, probably for ethyl reasons. Numerous also the Japanese, while the Norwegians are there, but much fewer than the other times, given the concurrence with cross-country (where they made yet another double). I even see a Vatican flag.
It starts, and the first jumps are between 115 and 120 meters. Then comes Colloredo (No. 8) and does not reach 110, despite the cheering in Italian by the speaker. I wonder if he will avoid tlast place, but then there are three disastrous jumps in a row, from 10 to 12, enough to make you think of difficult conditions: one looked decidedly in trouble with the wind. Insam, with 14, goes a bit better, but it soon becomes clear that the qualification is out of reach (will be 41 °), the one after him, a Canadian, makes it clear that making a decent jump is possible: he will be the last to qualify .
After many changes of lead, we arrive at number 36, the Swiss Peier, who I admit not to have heard about before, and he's the big surprise: 131.5 meters, goes ahead and stays there until the end. Then the big ones come down: many seem to be in trouble, but then they always land close to the 130m line. Closes Kobayashi, which goes down very elegantly, the air seems to have no effect on him and also makes the longest jump (133.5m), but the judges do not reward him and closes third. Disappointment for Austrians and Poles, whose best jumpers are 5th and 7th respectively.
In the break the speaker interviews some spectators, including a Belgian (Belgium is represented in cross-country, but not in jumping) and a Norwegian with long elk horns, presumably true. The comment is almost exclusively in German: he only briefly says the result in English. and only for non-German speaking jumpers. It is however much less invasive than in Lahti. In a queue for the toilet, I meet an Estonian with a long beard and hat full of pins, who tells me he had been in Predazzo: of course, when one says "I have been in Italy" one does not think of Predazzo, but if you meet him at a ski jumping competition, it can happen. In the break I also notice that behind the track there are the tripods of the Olympic flames of 1964 and 1976 and a beautiful alpine landscape.
The second run starts with a bang, with 132.5 meters of Kobayashi the less good. The Bulgarian Zogravski also makes a big jump, but he will be disqualified for irregular equipment. We get to the top 10: Stoch rrallies some positions and makes the Poles dream, while the Austrians remain behind. Kobayashi the strong makes another nice jump to see (at least for me, less for the judges), but this time it is also short and remains off the podium. After him the German Eisenbichler shoots 135.5 and it is clear that the race is almost certainly closed. Only the Swiss is left, who fights, but closes third. Podium Germany-Germany-Switzerland, the first without Norwegians.
At the end they invite to stop for the "presentation" ceremony, but few do. At first I think I would, but then I give up for the cold, and thank goodness: I would have risked losing the tram, and there were no others for more than an hour! The tram is not very crowded: there are also snowboarders.
Tomorrow is out of discussion: I go to the cross country stadium, with the pairs' races of cross country and Nordic combined..
I enter the stadium when trial jumps are halfway. The sector is much fuller than yesterday, but not so much to struggle to find a place. Sectors A to D (I am in C) are almost completely full, those higher up and those on the other side of the hill are almost completely empty. I will later hear that the spectators are 11,000: few, according to the locals. I settle among Austrians, on my right a group with jackets dedicated to the Tyrolean Aschenwald, who will arrive 13th. The most common flag is red and white, similar but not the same as the Austrian one, given at the entrance by a sponsor (a beer). There are also many Germans and Poles, the latter mainly in seats on top: some seem to struggle to stand up, probably for ethyl reasons. Numerous also the Japanese, while the Norwegians are there, but much fewer than the other times, given the concurrence with cross-country (where they made yet another double). I even see a Vatican flag.
It starts, and the first jumps are between 115 and 120 meters. Then comes Colloredo (No. 8) and does not reach 110, despite the cheering in Italian by the speaker. I wonder if he will avoid tlast place, but then there are three disastrous jumps in a row, from 10 to 12, enough to make you think of difficult conditions: one looked decidedly in trouble with the wind. Insam, with 14, goes a bit better, but it soon becomes clear that the qualification is out of reach (will be 41 °), the one after him, a Canadian, makes it clear that making a decent jump is possible: he will be the last to qualify .
After many changes of lead, we arrive at number 36, the Swiss Peier, who I admit not to have heard about before, and he's the big surprise: 131.5 meters, goes ahead and stays there until the end. Then the big ones come down: many seem to be in trouble, but then they always land close to the 130m line. Closes Kobayashi, which goes down very elegantly, the air seems to have no effect on him and also makes the longest jump (133.5m), but the judges do not reward him and closes third. Disappointment for Austrians and Poles, whose best jumpers are 5th and 7th respectively.
In the break the speaker interviews some spectators, including a Belgian (Belgium is represented in cross-country, but not in jumping) and a Norwegian with long elk horns, presumably true. The comment is almost exclusively in German: he only briefly says the result in English. and only for non-German speaking jumpers. It is however much less invasive than in Lahti. In a queue for the toilet, I meet an Estonian with a long beard and hat full of pins, who tells me he had been in Predazzo: of course, when one says "I have been in Italy" one does not think of Predazzo, but if you meet him at a ski jumping competition, it can happen. In the break I also notice that behind the track there are the tripods of the Olympic flames of 1964 and 1976 and a beautiful alpine landscape.
The second run starts with a bang, with 132.5 meters of Kobayashi the less good. The Bulgarian Zogravski also makes a big jump, but he will be disqualified for irregular equipment. We get to the top 10: Stoch rrallies some positions and makes the Poles dream, while the Austrians remain behind. Kobayashi the strong makes another nice jump to see (at least for me, less for the judges), but this time it is also short and remains off the podium. After him the German Eisenbichler shoots 135.5 and it is clear that the race is almost certainly closed. Only the Swiss is left, who fights, but closes third. Podium Germany-Germany-Switzerland, the first without Norwegians.
At the end they invite to stop for the "presentation" ceremony, but few do. At first I think I would, but then I give up for the cold, and thank goodness: I would have risked losing the tram, and there were no others for more than an hour! The tram is not very crowded: there are also snowboarders.
Tomorrow is out of discussion: I go to the cross country stadium, with the pairs' races of cross country and Nordic combined..
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