2022 Beijing Olympics – Ski Jumping – Mixed Team Final Round – National Ski Jumping Centre, Zhangjiakou, China – February 7, 2022. Ursa Bogataj of Slovenia in action. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson
February 7, 2022
By Mitch Phillips
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) – Slovenia won the mixed team Olympic ski jumping gold on Monday but the big talking point of the event’s first appearance at the Games was a series of disqualifications that hit the favourites and meant world champions Germany did not even make the final.
Ursa Bogataj and Nika Kriznar, who took gold and bronze in the women’s individual event, helped Slovenia to gold alongside Peter Prevc and Timi Zajc.
Taking advantage of the chaos behind them, the Russian Olympic Committee took the silver medal and Canada, rank outsiders, collected the bronze.
Yet the final placings seemed almost an afterthought after a night of mayhem that featured disqualifications, reinstatements and widespread fury and confusion among the sport’s heavyweight nations.
Germany, who have won four successive world championships, failed to progress from the 10-team opening round after individual silver medallist Katharina Althaus was disqualified for a suit violation.
Japan, Austria and Norway also fell foul of the complex rules that link suits and skis to bodyweight in an attempt to remove any advantage that can be gained by athletes being lighter.
German coach Maximilian Mechler told ZDF television: “With Katharina it was the suit that was too big.”
Germany’s national team coach Stefan Horngacher said: “For me it is a puppet theatre. The entire season the suits have been an issue. I am unbelievably angry and I don’t understand it. We had super jumps, all were super, you can only be disappointed with this.”
He said Althaus had worn the same suit as in Saturday’s individual event – though if her weight has dropped since then her suit would need adjusting.
It was hardly the showcase organisers would have been hoping for.
Although ski jumping has been part of the Olympic programme since the Games began in 1924, women joined the party only in 2014, but with only a normal hill competition while the men have normal, large and team medals to go for.
The mixed team event has been a world championship regular since 2013, with Germany winning the last four editions. They, Austria, Japan and Norway have won all 15 available medals between them.
Slovenia will not care, however, as they continued their fabulous week at the ski jumping venue.
(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ed Osmond)
