Janne Ahonen to continue ski jumping – at least for two weeks

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The Ski Jumping World Cup was concluded yesterday with the Planica ski flying event, in which Finland’s Janne Happonen took third position, with teammate Janne Ahonen in fifth.
      The event’s winner was Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer followed by his countryman Martin Koch.
      In the ski jumping World Cup the first three were Thomas Morgernstern of Austria with 1,794 points followed by Schlierenzauer (1,561) and Ahonen (1,291).
     
The weekend’s most interesting question - whether Ahonen will quit after this season - in turn remained unanswered.
      One thing is certain, though. Ahonen’s career will definitely continue at least for another two weeks, until the Finnish Championships at Ruka. On conclusion of that event, Ahonen has promised to reveal his decision.
      I predict the following: Ahonen will call it quits in the sport where he has won nearly everything there is to win. Only a personal Olympic medal managed to evade the legend.
      But even without one, Ahonen will survive. During his career he managed to rustle up 19 World Championship and Olympic medals, a record-breaking five Four Hills Tournament victories, two World Cup overall victories, and in excess of a hundred World Cup podium finishes.
     
Ahonen’s telemark landing into a civilian life will be a controlled one. At home await his wife Tiia and his six-year-old son Mico. In May, a new baby will arrive in the family.
      Ahonen runs his own import business, and in his summer hobby, drag racing, he is among the best in Europe in his class.
      So, even without ski-jumping and 200-odd days per year out in training camps and competitions, Ahonen will have his plate full, so to speak.
      When asked about leaving a possible void in the Finnish ski jumping elite if and when he quits, Ahonen laughs: “Hardly. When I leave, I’ll disappear like piss in the snow. There is a really hungry guy sitting right next to me”, Ahonen says, referring to Happonen, one of his heirs apparent in the Finnish squad. 


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Ahonen takes Four Hills Tournament title for historic fifth time (7.1.2008)

Links:
  FIS pages: Janne Ahonen
  Janne Ahonen (Wikipedia)

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