Hill Size Magazine
Andreas Wellinger The Brilliant Boy
L ea Lem are Train hard, jump far A lex an der Stoe ck l Team Strength Ski jumping magazine
Martin Schmitt's S po rts Re t ire m e nt
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issue no 7 / February 2018
Editor in Chief Przemyslaw Wardega wardega@hillsizemagazine.com Deputy Editor in Chief Martyna Ostrowska ostrowska@hillsizemagazine.com Assistant editor Maria Grzywa grzywa@hillsizemagazine.com Graphic Design Aleksander Milejski Magdalena Gawlik-Lecka Mock up the magazine Magdalena Piwowar Advertisement reklama@hillsizemagazine.com Cooperation: Artur Bala, Aneta Biedron, Ewa Blaszk, Karolina Chyra, Klaudia Ferus, Julia Robel, Mikołaj Szuszkiewicz, Dominika Wisniowska Contact adress Hill Size Magazine Kreta 7/7, 50-237 Wroclaw Photo on the cover Maria Grzywa
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issue no 07 | February 2018
table of contents
photo: Maria Grzywa
4 PHOTOGRAPHY IS LIFE 6 TEAM STRENGTH 10 FOUR HILLS TOURNAMENT 12 KAMIL IS A CHAMPION 6 THE BRILLIANT BOY 6 SPORTS RETIREMENT 6 SKIFLYING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
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text: Martyna Ostrowska photos: Elias Tollinger’s archive
Photography is life Elias Tollinger is a very busy man. A ski jumper, a student, and a photographer in his free time. As he admits himself, working with camera was like love at first sight.
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issue no 07 | February 2018
Elias Tollinger
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My first experience with photography was in school when we were on a trip to England with the whole class. I took a camera which I got from my mum. My teacher had a better camera, which was really interesting for me. It took stunning pictures. I decided to keep on photographing because my teacher said that my pictures were really good as for a beginner. I had the real sense of seeing things differently, in a beautiful way. I got a reflex camera for my 18th birthday, from this time on I got more and more interested in photography.
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I often post my pictures on Instagram, because it's a perfect platform for it! You can follow me and see my new pictures if you want.
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I don't have any favorite "directions" of what kind of pictures I want to take. I like night photography, portraits and landscape photography! I use a Nikon D750 with a Nikkor Lens 50mm 1,8. It's really amazing - low noise and sharp.
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Do I have any further plans and goals relating to this hobby? Yes, maybe. I took some photos for a friend and his company. You can see them below ad.1 and ad.2. Maybe I will do something in this direction in a near future. I like it a lot!
ď… @eliastollinger
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Team stre n gth
Did you expect Anders Fannemel to perform so good in the beginning of the year?
If Alexander Stoeckl was supposed to point out the most unlucky guy among his team last season, it would be Anders Fannemel. This time the tables have turned and the beginning of the year turned out unexpectedly well for the Norwegian. We met the coach after the competition in Garmisch-Partenkirschen, where Fannemel ended up third and was the best ski jumper in the team.
He had quite good results at the beginning of the season. After Engelberg I saw he is able to win a competition. In Garmisch it was not such a big surprise but it is always nice to have one of the guys on the podium there. The first competition of the year is always difficult for the athletes because of the tension and media interests. Expectations are always high. It was really nice to see that he managed to perform his good jumps and ended up on the podium. Last season wasn’t that kind for him. Has he changed a lot before this winter?
– He hasn’t changed much. I think he has changed some things in the physical training. He started to do some different stuff there. Additionally we just tried to optimize the technique on the hill together with the equipment on an individual level bit more. I think he just improved mentally. He is more self-confident now as compared to last year. He was in a stable shape through the summer and this is the reason of his good results now.
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Do you think it was better for him to come to the Four Hills Tournament not as a leader or someone who is expected to win?
– It helps. For some of the athletes it is really important that they are not in the position of the leader. I think it was quite good for him that he wasn’t the favorite. I have to ask about Kenneth Gangnes. The news before the season was terrible for everyone. How hard was the situation for you, as a coach?
– It was more difficult on a personal level. You know how good the athletes are and how much effort they put into being where they are. You see how they are devoted to the sport. It is really bitter when an athlete misses the chance
for which he has been fighting for throughout the whole year. He had the same injury a year ago. Now the ACL is torn again and he has to go through the whole process one more time. It is extremely hard to see this kind of situation and observe how everything just collapsed because of one small mistake and unfortunate landing.
How hard is it to manage to keep the good atmosphere among the team in a situation where you lost its leader?
– It was quite difficult at the beginning when it happened. Kenneth is a part of the team, we can say he is the leader of the group. He is the most experienced guy in the team so his absence is really hard for us. On the other hand it leaves an open room and more possibilities for the other athletes to have a different role in the national team. For me as a coach it was a really interesting thing to watch how the situation develops inside of the team when the leader is gone. So far it worked out well. We will have Kenneth as a team member. Not as a ski jumper but as some kind of an expert as long as he’s injured. He joined us during the Four Hills Tournament and has been spending time with the whole time since Innsbruck.
issue no 07 | February 2018
interview: Martyna Ostrowska photos: Dominika Wisniowska / Przemyslaw Wardega
Can you say how is he doing right now and how do you see his future?
– He’s doing and developing good as he is quite experienced in that injury. He knows what to do. The therapy is working out pretty well. He has improved but he doesn’t make any decisions on what will happen after he’ll finish his recovery. I want to keep this open. He still calls himself a sportsman. There’s still a lot of rehabilitation to do. When he’s done, he will make the final decision whether he’s going to continue with sport or if he’s starting with doing something different. It’s all up to him. You take part in a lot of projects connecting coaching and ski jumping. You have been working with Norwegians for a pretty long time. What is the best way to motivate athletes?
– My personal opinion is that I can not motivate somebody else. They only can be motivated by themselves. I can only give them tools, I can open new possibilities. I can show them where to go. I can use my own motivation to show the athlete how to handle things and how he can put effort into everything he does everyday. Then you may expect that athletes will do this in a similar way. I don’t think you can motivate someone to do something. The motivation has to come from the inside. Last season you said that you weren’t 100% motivated all of the time. You finally decided on signing a contract for next five years. How can you motivate yourself to continue on working with the team on a stable and high level?
– There was a period of time after the season ended when I was not sure how things will go in the future. Maybe I was a little bit tired. We made some changes in the team. We have changed my role as a coach. I am more of a team leader or a manager. It took me some time to
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find my position again. At a certain point I got to the moment when I thought it didn’t matter if I am here or not. Things are going really well. We have developed a really good structure behind the athletes, also for home training in different regions. The coaches in the ski federation developed extremely well. The system inside is ran by itself. Then I realized that I started to put myself aside. I got to the point when I asked myself a question: am I needed? Then I was lucky to meet a tennis sport chief in Sweden. He was a sport chief for many years. He has a very long experience in a much more worldwide sport than ski jumping. He was in the same situation. At the time he realized that his duty is to keep the continuity and to show the direction. Maybe not doing so much himself but being sure that everything is going in the right direction. That was a really good advice. I put myself in a slightly different position and it worked out perfectly for me. Thanks to that I have more energy. It also gave some more space for rest of the coaches and their progress. You are staying with the team till the next Winter Olympic Games. How do you see your role in the future?
– I will be someone between a coach and a manager. I want to remain being a coach, because I still love this part of my job. I like working with athletes and I need this for myself. I will be more focused on being a team leader to keep the balance and check if everything is working fine. I’ll be a supervisor of what is going on. Maybe giving some input and ideas for the coaches. We still have some possibilities that could be expanded. Can you say you have developed a system of ski jumping in Norway?
– I think we are on a good way to do so. You’re never finished with the system. Ski jumping is some kind of a culture
Alexander Stoeckl and Norway has a very long history with this sport. What we have to do is to adjust our ideas to the culture and try to build the system. It is not only about me but about a bunch of people who have developed ski jumping and pushed everything in a certain direction. This process never stops. I think we have done a good job but there are still many things we have to do to be successful all of the time. Norway used to be good with one athlete a year, but it didn’t have constant good results for one athlete or more the whole time. This is the next step we have to take. We have to continue with the good work and be more professional in certain areas. We have still a lot of work to do. Mostly, Norwegians are more successful when they are older than Germans or Austrians. Is it also a part of the system?
– This depends on many different things. The one thing about this is the school system in Norway. Last part of the school here is from the age of 16 until the age of 19. In Austria, for example, you start with children around 14-15 years old. In Schigymansium Stams, which is really successful, the athletes start the professional work earlier. In Norway it takes more time before they start the real work. There’s not enough time for the sport and personal development. It makes a delay in everything. This is the reason why athletes at the age of 20 or 21 compete in the World Cup for the first time. In Austria they do this when they’re around 16 or 17 years old. There are also many differences in how the clubs work. They don’t have to do so much ski jumping there. Actually for them it’s better to do less ski jumping and more sport in general. In their primary trainings they should be focused on basic things. This is one of the biggest challenges in Norway. We see many guys on the small hills who are quite good, quite early. Then we have a gap. The development of a young athlete
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has to be complete. We have lack of competence in this area. We have to be sure that people spend enough time on basics instead of going to the hill and jumping. How working in Stams helped you in your coaching career?
We set a goal for the Olympic season together in the end of the last winter. We made some analysis and conducted some discussions about the targets for the upcoming season. The most important task is to fight for the gold medal in the team competition. This indicates that you have four athletes on an extremely high level.
– It helped me a lot. When you work in Stams you learn that the the athletes are the center of your universe. They come to school when they are 14. Your responsibility is to work not only on their physics and techniques but also on their personality. You have to take care of a whole person. This is the thing which has to develop in Norway – making sure that you work with a person and you have to keep this perspective. On the World Cup level you only have to work with the sports part, not the personality. This is a good thing that you get in Stams – athletes who are fully developed as a person. So you don’t have to deal with these personality issues anymore. You work with young guys, with different personalities. How can you handle avoiding arguments, misunderstandings and stressful situations?
– It’s always a challenge, but it is a nice one. It is interesting to get to know the person better. I think that inside the team we are extremely good in accepting differences in our personalities. This has always been an important part of the Norwegian philosophy. You have to have a high level of acceptance and loyalty to the system. It is not only about us coaches, but also about the athletes and about ski jumping itself. We represent a sport which is the most important thing to us and we have to do this in a very good and positive way. To do this we have to work together as a team. That strong theory makes it easy. When you started to work in Norway,
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did you find many difficulties – cultural misunderstandings or something like that?
landscape but it’s way different. Sometimes I miss Austria.
– This is a normal thing in the beginning. I came to Norway and I didn’t speak the same language. I spoke in English all the time. In a situation like that you miss the part of how people react on what you say. It was very important to me to learn the language, to get to understand the Norwegian culture, especially when it comes to ski jumping. There were some misunderstanding at the beginning. Now I feel more comfortable. I understand more and I can read people’s intentions better.
On the other hand, is there something that you really appreciate about living in Norway?
Is there still something in Norway which is strange for you or which you can not stand?
– You get pressure in a different way so I wouldn’t say this is unmotivating. You feel less pressure from the outside but more pressure from the the inside.
– There are some certain dialects which I can not understand. I think the last part of learning the language is when you understand sarcasm. When somebody says something and you should feel if it is sarcasm or not. I am not there yet but I’m trying. Do you still miss Austria a bit?
– During the Four Hills Tournament when we were driving from Garmisch and we were going through Seefeld to the valley of Innsbruck I felt a little bit homesick. I miss high mountains and this kind of scenery. Norway has a fantastic
– I really appreciate the openness of the country. People are close to the nature and they are less stressed than in any other part of the Europe. Time is not everything there. Norwegians don’t rush anything. This is really positive most of the times but it can be also frustrating sometimes. Can it be unmotivating as well when you feel much less pressure in work?
You come to Austria for a training camp every year. Is it because you miss the place or about good facilities?
– It’s a combination of many things. I think there is a good environment and very good infrastructure. We have everything we need. We have ski jumping hills in Stams and Innsbruck. We can also use all of the facilities in Schigymnasium in Stams. We have a possibility to play golf with the Austrian team. Finland joined us last year as well. This is also developing
issue no 07 | February 2018
Alexander Stoeckl
in a way. It is always a nice kind of a fun part during the hard pre-season trainings. What are your expectations before the Winter Olympic Games?
– We set a goal for the Olympic season together in the end of the last winter. We made some analysis and conducted some discussions about the targets for the upcoming season. The most important task is to fight for the gold medal in the team competition. This indicates that you have four athletes on an extremely high level. During the previous Olympic Games Daniel-Andre Tande was a young guy and got qualified just before the tournament. Now he is the leader of the team and the expectations are higher. How do you handle the athlete in this situation?
– The Norwegians have always been strong as a team. As I said, this is also a part of the culture. We have strongly developed the team spirit. We are finally extremely good in finding individual solutions in the technical training. Thanks to that we have more athletes on a high level at the same time. Last year there were many discussions about the equipment in the team. Ski jumpers were a little bit disappointed that they were far behind the other nations. You have done small equipment revolution…
– He seems to be more confident now. He is more experienced of course. The choice to take him to Sochi was perfect at the time. There was a big discussion on deciding between him and another athlete [Tom Hilde]. They were on the same level. One athlete was quite old, the other one was young. We decided we should take Daniel because we saw his potential. It was good for him to get this Olympics experience. Now when he goes to PyoengChang he will be ready. He will know how it works and what to expect. Yes, I think that decision was right.
– We have changed one thing. My assistant coach, Magnus Brevig is now a leader of our Science Department as we call it. He coordinates all the details, with some help from the university. He’s searching for some new information and possibilities that we can use. It was a really clever step because he is extremely motivated to do this job. We can see that ski jumper’s equipment is becoming really important. It has been important before as well but now it seems to be much more significant. We have more details which we can make big differences with. The biggest step was to say that this is also very important. We are doing everything to develop our team also in this area. We found some small details that have a massive influence on that.
As a team you perform unbelievably good this season. What makes you so strong?
Can we say that when the athlete knows that there is a special work done for his equipment, he feels more confident?
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– It makes a big difference when athletes know that we have changed something for them. Even if the change is small the athlete feels better. He knows he’s going to compete with just as good equipment as his rivals have. This is really important for their self-confidence. As a team you took part in a TV series in Norway. What was your first impression?
– We started with this project one year ago. We had TV crew with us for the first time in Pyeongchang. Firstly it was a strange feeling to have a camera following you in every single moment. It can take a long time to actually forget that camera follows you all of the time. They were very professional and didn’t disturb us at all. Now we can watch this on television and it is really interesting to see ourselves from another perspective. It is the first time when I have a chance to see myself and my work as a coach. I have a deeper insight and feedback on myself. It is a bit strange to see myself on TV but it can be really developing. We are still in the process of recording. We had cameraman with us during the Four Hills Tournament and it will be continued till the Olympics. What should I wish you for such a busy season?
– Good health, because the most important thing is to not have any injuries. Positive spirit and good performance!
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photo: Julia Robel/Przemyslaw Wardega
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issue no 07 | February 2018
Photostory Four Hills Tournament
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interview: Martyna Ostrowska photos: Lea Lemare’s archive
Ka
a Ch
Lea Lemare was bor a doubt. It doesn't ma the air or on water. S everyday life. She's life motto - „Train hard the top, just like h
Skiing is a big part of your life since you have been a child. Why did you decide to start with ski jumping?
– I’ve been skiing since I was 3 years old, so it's for sure a big part of my life. I took up ski jumping at the age of 6 because I was at the Courchevel Ski Club and from 5 to 7 there is a group called "group evolution". In this group you discover all the sports that are in the club: ski, cross country, ski jumping. I was with my friends, it was so fun and the sensations were amazing so I fell in love with ski jumping. You’ve been training ski jumping for 15 years. Have you ever wondered
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what it would be like if you chose another way of life?
– I've thought about it because I have many friends who chose the "normal" path, but I really love my life and I would not trade it for anything in the world. Has your family been always enthusiastic about your passion, which is still considered as a dangerous one?
– My family is awesome, they have always been there for me and always supported me in my choices. They never thought that ski jumping was dangerous and they were pretty happy that I was doing a lot of sports because it's the best school of life for me.
issue no 07 | February 2018
Lea Lemare
amil is
hampion
rn with skis on her feet without atter if it's winter or summer, in Skis are inseparable part of her s doing everything to fulfill her d, jump far” - and to be lead to her biggest idol... Kamil Stoch.
Ladies ski jumping gets better and more popular every year. How do you, as a young sportswoman, see this situation?
– I am so proud of this evolution. I've been in this sport for many years and the level is increasing every day. The girls are becoming top-level athletes, their jumps are better and better... We’ve shown that we can jump well on the big hills. I hope that one day we will be as famous as boys but I think that there is still a lot to do for FIS to get more individual and team competitions, more races on the big hills and more money. But it's all going in the right direction!
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This season ladies had a chance to jump in a team competition for the first time. How was it?
French team made it to the podium. You were third. How does it feel like to make a history?
– This was an amazing feeling. Team competitions are very special and I think that it motivates girls to jump even bet-
– First team competition, first podium in World Cup for the team... It was very special and it was important because we’ve been working so hard for this event! I'm very proud that we wrote the history, it's great for our country in ski jumping.
I don't have any result goals. The main goal in PyeongChang is to to use all my skills and abilities to show the best jumps at the moment. I want to leave PyeongChang with no regrets.
ter! It was a great competition with two hill records in a row. Irina Avvakumova in the first round with 108,0 m, which was beaten a few minutes later by Maren Lundby (109,0 m). It was pretty cool! I hope we will have more of these in the next season, and for the Olympic Games. I think it's also a good competition format to watch on TV.
It is said that there is a lot of team spirit among ski jumping ladies. Would you confirm that?
– Yes. The spirit in woman ski jumping is very special. Even though we are competitors, we like each other and we are friends. We all want the same thing which is to evolve and grow our sport. You didn’t take part in Japan tournee. What was the main reason of this decision?
– Lucile Morat and I didn't go to Japan to prepare for the Olympics. It was a decision taken all together before the season. Do you think that ladies are able to jump more often on big hills?
– I am sure that ladies are able to jump more on the big hills! We proved it in Lillehammer. If we had more competitions on K120, we would train more on those hills and we would for sure be better and better!
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What about ski flying? Why in your opinion it is still a little bit forbidden for you?
in Innsbruck in 2012. You ended up really close to the podium, you were 4th. Was it helpful before going to Sochi?
– The point is I don’t think that thirty girls are ready to jump on the flying hills. But I think that ten or fifteen can do it. And that's why we need more competitions on the K120! To me I think that it's forbidden because like I said before, not everyone can jump and I think that we need to improve the level a bit. I think that FIS doesn’t want to take a risk yet, but I hope that they will let us jump on the flying hills in a year or two. We could start with qualification for ten or fifteen jumpers and then extend it.
– It was really helpful for Sochi. At this time I was very young and I didn't know what a "big" event is about, so I was under pressure all the time and I couldn't enjoy it. I couldn't jump as well as I was able to. So when I came to Sochi, I knew the mistakes that I made in Innsbruck and I decided to enjoy, to open my eyes and my ears and get as much experience as I could because I wasn't able to jump for the medals or anything.
You were 17 when you took part in Olympic Games in Sochi. How do you recall it?
– I don't have any result goals. The main goal in PyeongChang is to use all my skills and abilities to show the best jumps at the moment. I want to leave PyeongChang with no regrets.
– It was one of the best experience in my life. Olympic Games are something really special for an athlete. It's another world, another dimension of competition. I’ve learnt so much, got so much experience. It is like a drug, once you try it, you can't get enough of it. It is a beautiful event, everyone knows why they are there. There is a big respect between all the athletes. You took part in Youth Olympic Games
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You were 20th in Sochi. What will be your main goal for PyeongChang?
Paris will host Summer Olympic Games in 2024. Do you see any chance to have Winter Olympic Games in France one day?
– Paris 2024 was an amazing news. I'm very happy. But Winter Olympic Games in France... I think that if it’s possible, it won’t be anytime soon. I would LOVE to
have the Winter Olympic Games in France. It would be a dream, but I don't want to have a false hope. In 2015 you were in the USA and took part in the National Championships. You did there pretty well. How did you get an idea to go there?
– It was the summer season after the Olympics and I really wanted to change my routine, I wanted to get new experience, so I decided to go to the USA. Park City and Courchevel are "twin towns" so it was pretty easy to go there. I was very happy about this decision because it was a great experience. I had to deal with everything by myself because there was no one to tell me what to do. I grew up there. The preparation was great, we did a great job with Alan [Alborn], who is the main ski jumping coach in Park City. Winning the competition there was the icing on the cake. Your motto is ‘Train hard, jump far’. What does it mean to you?
– It actually comes from Damien Maitre, who was my coach when I was young. I grew up with this motto in my head. Nothing falls from the sky, if you want something, you have to work for it. And it's not only in ski jumping, it's everywhere the same.
issue no 07 | February 2018
Lea Lemare
that you can chill in style. I really believe in this brand so that's why I decided to cooperate with them, plus they are from my town so we help each other. You are really creative and up to date on your social media. Do you think it is important for sportsman nowadays to be close to their fans?
You train in Courchevel club. Will we get any winter ladies competition there one day?
– There is already a Summer Grand Prix there. Now they are working really hard to get the skiing World Championship in 2023, building slopes and accommodation. But I'm sure that after such a big event we will get a ladies World Cup as well! You are interested in many sports beside ski jumping. What is your favorite one and why?
– I love all the sliding and extreme sports. But my favorite, apart from ski jumping, is surfing. I’ve been surfing since I was 8 years old. The sensation is fabulous, sliding on the water is just awesome. When you are surfing it's just you, your board and the sea. You co-operate with Jumpsuit company. Could you tell something more about it?
– Jumpsuit is a French brand, which comes from Courchevel. They are making pretty cool clothes, it’s a hoodie with a pair of sweatpants that are connected by a giant zipper. It’s great for the carefree Sundays. It's also cool to travel and chill. The thing which is awesome about it is
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– Well, I'm trying to, but it's not easy. I think that it's very important nowadays because our generation is completely fond of social media, so everyone has to follow the trend, especially brands. Also the sponsors want us to be active on social media. Ski jumping, especially woman ski jumping, is not like football, so if you want to make a living by doing this, it's better to take part in this game. Do you have any plan how to do it or is it just spontaneous?
– I really don't have any plan, I'm trying to do what I think is cool and I also get ideas from the others or I ask my friends... After Four Hills Tournament you posted a congratulations for Kamil Stoch and you wrote that he is an inspiration for you…
Quick Questions: Favorite ski jumping hill:
Big hills in Klingenthal and Oslo Ski jumping idol: Kamil Stoch Best teammate: Lucile Morat If not ski jumping: Surfing World Championships or Olympic Games: Olympic Games Favorite place on Earth: Home
– Kamil is an inspiration for me since I was young. I respect him and his path so much because, even if it wasn’t always easy for him, he never gives up, he trains really hard and now he is back again! He is a big champion. Can you imagine being an inspiration for younger athletes?
– It would be a big honor. I hope that someday I will be one of the best in the world and I will inspire young athletes to follow their dreams.
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interview and photos: Maria Grzywa
The b ril liant boy Andreas Wellinger is definitely one of the most talented athletes of the young generation. In his almost 17-yearsold career he already achieved an Olympics Team Gold and two individual silver medals in the World Championships in Lahti last year. He is a ski jumper you want to have a closer eye on for sure! You come from Ruhpolding, which is well known mainly for biathlon. Was it your dad who is connected to skiing, who inspired you?
– To be honest, my inspiration came from watching the TV (laugh). My dad was an alpine skier for some time, and he pulled me into it when I was only 3 years old. But when I got older and I was about 6 years old, I started to watch TV and I told my mum I want to try ski jumping. Since the year 2001, it's my hobby. Actually nordic combined was first but ever since 2011 it's just ski jumping. Training connected to cross-country skiing is definitely not my thing (laugh). In one of the interviews you said that you were seriously into swimming.
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Can you say something more about it?
– When I was younger I was engaged into many sports. Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, nordic combined, football and swimming. My sister encouraged me to try with swimming but I finished this adventure at the age of 11. I just prefer winter and all its sports. Besides ski jumping I've also read that you're a business student. Was that decision based on the fact that you're a professional athlete or maybe you had some other plans?
– I want to be ready for the time „after ski jumping”. You never know for how long the career lasts. I want to stay in the sports industry, I want to do something which will make me happy. That's why
I decided on studying Business and Administration, which can give me more possibilities in future work, for example – organizing and planning various events. I'm not 100% sure what I want to do on my sports retirement but I want to be ready. So you're not planning on replacing your coach?
– Oh, definitely not. Although... Everything is possible. Now I have some years of jumping ahead. You were included into Milka team, which is usually associated with Martin Schmitt. Do you feel more pressure or motivation to become as good of an athlete?
issue no 07 | February 2018
Andreas Wellinger
Last four years taught me a lot. The World Championships in Lahti are the most valuable experience to me. Every competition, every week, every month of hard work teaches me how to deal with the pressure and expectations. Mainly the expectations I have towards myself. (‌) You can work really hard for few months but bad conditions, worse day, equipment issue or any other small thing, which may sound ridiculously can be the cause of a further place in a competition. I think that I'm well prepared for the Olympics. The upcoming days will verify my thoughts.
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– There's definitely no pressure. Milka Team is like family to me. The support I get from them is amazing. Joining the team was the best decision I made in my ski jumping career. If you know Martin a little bit more, outside of the hill, you know he is a really relaxed and polite person. He did a lot for German ski jumping. I had the pleasure to train with him. When I was beginning my adventure in the World Cup, it was really good to have such an experienced person in the team. It helped me a lot, so I'd definitely call it an extra motivation. Roar Ljoekelsoey joined the team recently. Markus Eisenbichler is very satisfied about this cooperation. How about you?
– I definitely agree with Markus. Roar is a very nice guy. He was among one of the best athletes, he knows really well how to deal with the pressure. The pressure in the air and the one after the landing. He knows everything about flying and he willingly shares his knowledge. I like working with him a lot. You won a golden medal in the team event in the previous winter Olympics, you were only 19 years-old back then. Do you remember the goals you set for yourself before going to Sochi? What are your goals now, as you're one of the best athletes in the German team?
– Back then it was my childhood dream come true, it was amazing. It's the biggest dream of every athlete. Now I try not to think about it too much. Last four years taught me a lot. The World Championships in Lahti are the most
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issue no 07 | February 2018
Andreas Wellinger
valuable experience to me. Every competition, every week, every month of hard work teaches me how to deal with the pressure and expectations. Mainly the expectations I have towards myself. In ski jumping you have to feel the right moment when everything will work out just perfectly. You can work really hard for few months but bad conditions, worse day, equipment issue or any other small thing, which may sound ridiculous can be the cause of a further place in a competition. I think that I'm well prepared for the Olympics. The upcoming days will verify my thoughts. Severin Freund was also the part of your golden team in Sochi. Do you think that having an undoubtable leader made it easier for you?
– No, I don't think so. I think that when we have a bigger number of athletes who we can call the favorites, makes it a little bit easier on us. In the present situation when Severin is unfortunately absent, at the moment we have a few athletes, who are on a similar level as Richie (Freitag), Markus (Eisenbichler) and I. Also Stephan (Leyhe) jumps very good. The pressure is equal for each of us, that's why it's divided into smaller pieces. When you made your debut in the national team, you were still a junior. The rest of the athletes were much older than you. Were there any situations when you felt the age difference?
– If there were any, they were usually jokes. We travel together all over the world, we are doomed to be together. We have to be nice for each other (laugh). When I
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was starting my adventure in the national team I was a little bit shy, it was hard for me to make contact but after some time it got easier for me. Now we motivate each other to achieve our goals and that's what's the best about it. During the last year's Raw Air you were a step away from the overall win. After the competition in Vikersund, your coach said it happened because there were some mistakes in the decisions that were made by the jury. Looking back, what do you think about it now?
– This is ski jumping, it's hard to explain what went wrong from A to Z. Small mistakes on the flying hills make a big difference and result in a shorter distance. Ups and downs are a part of every sport and above all we learn from out mistakes. Nobody wants to be the unlucky guy but every athlete has to pass this stage in his career. You have to be focused on every single second of your jump or training. The World Cup season is a very long period of time and as for that you can get easily disturbed. Raw Air taught me a lot and made me concentrate on my work even better. Looking back, would you change or correct anything in your attitude, shape or jumps during this Tournament?
Quick Questions: Favorite hill: Willingen, Vikersund, Kuusamo – I can't pick one! The Olympics or World Championships: Every competition is a special event, I am happy to participate in every competition. Best friend in the team: Stephan Leyhe If not ski jumping then: (long silence and no answer) Robert Lewandowski or Thomas Mueller: Thomas Mueller
– Despite all of the above you can't forget about being relaxed and feeling the joy from every jump. If you want to jump 120% of your possibilities, you have to feel that „something” in every step of the way. During the take off, the flight or the landing. If you connect all of these things – you are the best ski jumper in the world.
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interview: Martyna Ostrowska photo: Carolin Erbe
A dozen of years filled with emotions, rivalry and continually travelling. The decision to leave ski jumping is not that easy for everyone. What should you do with sudden excess of free time? There's no golden mean for that but the example of Martin Schmitt shows that a sports retirement doesn't have to be boring. It's not the first winter as an Eurosport expert for you but it is one of the most spectacular ones. Did you have any special preparations before the Olympic season?
and weaknesses of a certain jumper. I have to have a wider perspective. One of the responsibilities is to understand what they do and what they try to achieve.
– We didn’t do anything special. I personally always want to prepare as much as I can. I go to the training camps and try to find out as much as it is possible. It's important for me to know what the guys are doing. It is mostly the same for me each year.
Was it hard for you to get used to new rules, wind compensation etc. from a new perspective?
What was the most difficult task for you when you started working for Eurosport?
– It is hard to say if there was something really difficult. It's different than being an active ski jumper of course. As an expert I have to be focused on many athletes and their jumps. When I was a ski jumper I had to concentrate only on my own jumps. I didn't have to think about anything else. I didn’t pay that much attention to jumps of the other guys. I was focused on myself and it wasn’t so important for me what the others are doing. Now I’m an expert and I have to follow every jump, try to distinguish strengths
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– Most of the rules were already in use when I was jumping so it wasn’t that complicated. The way I look at the wind compensation points and gate changing is pretty much the same for me right now. I don’t have any problems analyzing them from another perspective. I always try to impersonate myself as a jumper. Are you more nervous right now?
– I was definitely more nervous when I was jumping. You are a very experienced ski jumper. Do you give any advice to the ski jumpers?
– Some of the guys from the German team sometimes talk to me about their jumps. We talk about the competitions, weather conditions etc., but I don’t give them any advice.
Is there any rule change which really surprised you?
– There is nothing that has really surprised me this season. My personal opinion is that the current rules should be a little bit more strict, especially the ones about the suits. I think there are still too many possibilities of having a bigger suit than it's allowed. The jumpers shouldn’t have so many chances to cheat on this part. The control should be more strict. As long as it's not, we will still have discussions among the jumpers and the teams. Everyone points out something in the other teams. This season I have already heard a lot from different teams: ‘Look, these jumpers have bigger suits than it's allowed. The Polish guys suits are too big, Norwegians are cheating, the Germans too’ etc...I think it would be better to be more rigorous with the equipment control to stop these discussions. The Winter Olympics are coming this season. What do you expect from the German team?
– I think we can do really well there. We have a very strong team. I keep my fingers crossed for our team and hope we
issue no 07 | February 2018
Martin Schmitt
will avoid serious injuries and we will be able to prepare well for this event which is the highlight of the season. We have a really strong team and I believe that we are able to win medals on both small and large hill. As well as in the team competition. This is a very good situation. How about the Ladies?
– They are also a very strong team. Unfortunately they lost Svenja Wuerth due to a knee injury but they still have Katharina Althaus and of course Carina Vogt. She is really strong, especially during the most important events. Yes, it is really interesting how she will perform during the Olympics. You are pretty busy during your ski jumping retirement. You also have your own business…
– I run a sport marketing agency with two colleagues and one of them is well-known here, because it is Simon Ammann. The other one is my longtime manager Hubert Schiffmann. We run this business together. The main part of it is managing the athletes who are searching for sponsors and coordinating the media
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We have a very strong team. I keep my fingers crossed for our team and hope we will avoid serious injuries and we will be able to prepare well for this event which is the highlight of the season. We have a really strong team and I believe that we are able to win medals on both small and large hill. work. It is very interesting and great to be able to work close to the sports and with all of these guys. Who came up with the idea to cooperate with Simon Ammann?
– Our manager came up with this idea and contacted us. One day he called us and organised a meeting. We had a nice and long conversation about what we want to do together. All of the preparations took us another year and then we finally set up the final project for our business.
and his jumping. What would you say...Simon Ammann and next Olympic Games…
– I wouldn’t say that it is impossible for him to win a medal there. You also took part in the Eurosport Program ‘Fencing with the Stars’. How was the experience?
– It was great! I know Britta Heidemann, who is the host of this program, for several years. When she came up with this idea and we started to talk about it I was really excited. I said ‘yes’ to this adventure. It was a lot of fun but it was not that easy. One time she hit me really hard on the chest... I didn’t expect that really. I fell down... I didn’t expect it will look like that. I didn’t know that this is actually so painful (laugh). That was a surprise but it was also a lot of fun with Michi Greis [German biathlete]. He is a great guy and we had a lot of fun together. We can see some ex-jumpers in Dancing with the Stars. Any chance we will see Martin Schmitt there?
– No, I am not a good dancer so you won’t see me there.
Is it really hard to work with someone who is an active ski jumper?
In 2016 you said that it is too early for you to work as a coach. What are your thoughts on this right now?
– No it is not that complicated. We have time to talk and discuss everything. When he has some busy times, like for example the Four Hills Tournament, he is not that involved but this is not a problem. He has to be concentrated on his performance, preparing for the Olympics and so on. If he starts to do something else, it won’t be good for him. He can always give us a call or write us an email but during the winter season he concentrates on himself
– It is still a little bit too early for me to take up this challenge. I am satisfied with my current activities. I have a lot to do already. I have no time for any other things especially coaching which is a quite time-consuming job. While doing it you have to be really involved. If I would like to be a coach for example in Germany I have to be ready and available 100% of the time to do it the right way. At the moment it is not a job for me.
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photos: Maria Grzywa
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issue no 07 | February 2018
Skiflying World Championships PHOTOSTORY
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zdjęcie: Przemysław Wardęga
#GrandSlam
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issue no 07 | February 2018
zdjęcie: Maria Grzywa
#SkiflyingWorldChampion Hill Size Magazine
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ODJAZD
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issue no 07 | February 2018