Janne Ahonen in doubt for Kulm ski-flying competitions

Ski-jumper misses training with high temperature

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The irresistible rise of Janne Ahonen, who has won all but two of this season’s 13 World Cup ski-jumping events, could suffer a temporary setback this weekend. Ahonen developed a high temperature on Wednesday and he did not travel to Austria with the remainder of the Finnish team on Thursday.
      This weekend sees the first of the season’s "ski-flying" competitions, in which the jumpers leap anything up to and even over 200 metres, rather than the customary 120-140 metres. The competitions on the Kulm hill at Bad Mitterndorf will be held on Saturday and Sunday, so technically Ahonen could leave home later and take part in Sunday’s event.
     
The Finnish head coach Tommi Nikunen said on Thursday that Ahonen had felt somewhat better in the morning and that if his temperature stayed down he would probably travel on Friday afternoon. A decision will in any case be made today.
      Ahonen would be able to take part in one or both competitions without having to turn up for practice or qualification. Nikunen believes Ahonen could go out there completely cold and do well, even though this is the first ski-flying event of the season.

Even if Ahonen does decide to stay away, it is not as if his lead in the FIS World Cup table is under any sort of threat. He has 1260 points (out of a possible 1300!), and his nearest rival, Martin Höllwarth of Austria, has 717.
      Ahonen had previously considered the possibility of not taking part in the Sapporo competitions to be held at the beginning of February.
      If he were to withdraw from that event, he would avoid having a long back and forth flight between Europe and Japan just before the World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany.
      The first ski-jumping competition at the World Championships takes place on February 19th, and Ahonen is not unnaturally regarded as "a medal hopeful".


Links:
  FIS Ski-Jumping Bad Mitterndorf

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