Sapporo World Championships: Nordic Combined team do the business and Harri Olli enjoys dream début

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Finland's medals tally at the FIS Nordic Skiing World Championships in Sapporo was increased by two over the weekend, though the nature of the two medals could hardly have been more different. The Nordic Combined team won a relatively predictable gold in the team relay event on Sunday, while on Saturday ski-jumping rookie Harri Olli came from nowhere to snatch a silver on the big hill.
     
Olli's achievement was little short of mind-boggling. The 22-year-old was competing in his first-ever event at a major championship, had never been on the podium before in a World Cup competition (his best finish was 5th in January of this year), and to most people he was "Harri WHO?".
      But jumps of 124 metres and 136.5 metres put him perilously close to victory, and he actually outjumped the eventual winner Simon Ammann from Switzerland. The style-points awarded to Ammann were a cause of some speculation afterwards, but they were enough to secure him victory by just 0.2 points. Bronze went to Roar Ljökelsjöy of Norway.
     
Finland's other, rather more experienced ski-jumpers were put firmly in their place by the new boy.
      Only the veteran Janne Ahonen (6th) produced anything like his best form, and Arttu Lappi, who has shown his skills on this season's World Cup circuit, could do no better than 11th. Matti Hautamäki fared even worse, and was 18th. The fifth Finnish competitor Janne Happonen was 37th after his first jump and did not make the second round.
     
On Sunday, Hannu Manninen added a team gold medal to the individual gold he won on Friday, as the quartet of Manninen, Jaakko Tallus, Anssi Koivuranta, and Janne Ryynänen came home just under half a minute ahead of the rest of the pack.
      The result had not been in any great doubt after the ski-jumping component, which the Finns won handsomely, allowing them a 39-second advantage as the skiing started.
      The ski-jumping stars were the young lions: 19-year-old Ryynänen jumped 138.5 metres twice while Koivuranta (who had just missed out on an individual medal) leapt 136.5 metres and 136 metres.
      At the final changeover, the Finns were at the front and level with the German team, and with Hannu Manninen as the anchor-man, few would have bet against them. Germany took silver 28.4 seconds adrift, and Norway beat out Austria in a sprint finish for the bronze medals.
     
There was disappointment, too, on Sunday. The ski-jumping team could do no better than fourth in the team event, largely through Arttu Lappi having the misfortune to have to make his first jump in extremely adverse wind conditions. Austria took the gold ahead of Norway and Japan. The Finns were 36.1 points short of taking any shade of medal.
      There were no more medals for Virpi Kuitunen, either, as she retired from the 15-kilometre pursuit event (raced over two circuits of 7.5 km using both the classic and freestyle disciplines). Her back had been giving her trouble, and by the time she withdrew she had already dropped down to 16th place. Riitta-Liisa Roponen was the best-placed Finn, in 5th, just ahead of Aino-Kaisa Saarinen.
      Monday is a rest day at the World Championships.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  FRIDAY: Double gold in Sapporo (23.2.2007)

Links:
  FIS Nordic Skiing World Championships, Sapporo

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