– All in all, it was a disaster. It’s a leaden start to the season, says Halvor Egner Granerud to news. This is how last year’s World Cup winner described the Norwegian achievements on Saturday. In the first race of the year, he finished in 16th place, becoming the best Norwegian. According to Bakglatt i naurbarbakke, the Facebook page of Viaplay commentator Petter Tenstad, it is the weakest Norwegian top position in a men’s World Cup race since Willingen in the 2013/14 season. Among the top 15 in Saturday’s race were twelve athletes from Germany and Austria. Among the top five were only Austrians and Germans. On Sunday, there were four Germans and four Austrians in the top ten, and Austrian Stefan Kraft ran away with the victory. Granerud was the best Norwegian in a share of 10th place. – Isn’t that a bit of a rush? No, it’s fair play. It is solid. They are ahead of the rest both technically and in terms of equipment, says Granerud to news about the German-Austrian dominance. Winner Austria’s Stefan Kraft, center celebrating on the podium with second-placed Austria’s Han Horl, left, and third-placed Germany’s Andreas Wellinger Photo: AP – How much do you think the new rules have to do with them jumping the way they do here? – I think that has a lot to say. So much ski jumping I’m starting to have control over now, that if there’s a whole team that jumps much better than the rest, then it’s mostly that they’ve found out something clever, says Granerud and adds: – I tried to send a few long glances up the “exit street” there, but it’s the same. There is nothing immediately that I have seen that looks very different. And that annoys me. 33-year-old Pius Paschke from Germany was one of those who surprised. He came second, and with it his first career podium. – I can only speak for myself and say that the new rules are good for me, says Paschke to news. news’s jumping expert: – Too early to conclude The rule changes before the season are about, among other things: Previously, the weight of the athletes was measured with the jumping suit on. Now they will be weighed without clothes. Previously, the height of the athletes was measured manually. Now they will be measured in a 3D scanner. Equipment manager for the Norwegians, Magnus Brevig, explains that the athletes in the 3D scan stand in their underpants, while they spin around with some distance between their legs. Magnus Brevig (right) together with trainer Alexander Stöckl on the trainer’s stand. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB – Then you get an avatar, and then the controller manually sets a point from which the machine calculates the distance from and down to the ground. That will then be your step goal, says Brevig to news. These measurements are important because they determine the size of the equipment that can be used, both skis and suits. – Say you get 80 centimeters in stride. Then you must wear the suit at the top of the step meter of 83. The fact that you must have three over the top is new, while the leg length must be equal to your step measurement, says Brevig. – You need several weekends before you conclude that the new rules have something to say about the result. The Germans and the Austrians had a pole this weekend, but I think you will see changes already next weekend in terms of who is dominant. That’s what news’s jumping expert Johan Remen Evensen says, who compares the whole thing to a Formula 1 driver changing cars. – A Formula 1 driver also needs time to learn the new car and get it to work the way you want it to. This also applies to the jumpers. The new rules change the airfoil and the way you hit the air in the hover. Then you have to change the technique so that it matches the equipment you have. Former world record holder Johan Remen Evensen. Photo: NTB He thinks it’s fun that the smaller nations, with smaller resources and support apparatus, can assert themselves better with the new changes. – Nevertheless, the Austrians have been good for a long time, while Germany can always be counted on at the top, despite a weak season last year, says Evensen. Kraft: – Easy to follow The rule changes were presented at a FIS meeting in spring. Sports director of the show jumping team, Clas Brede Bråthen, believes that the Norwegian team should also be competitive this season. – If they did a good job then and made things a little better for them, and they have already got good results now, then it’s just a matter of taking off your hat and having respect for the way they work. Then we have to try to get even a little better, he emphasizes. Sports manager Clas Brede Bråthen was impressed by the competitors’ jumping. Photo: NTB The winner on both Saturday and Sunday, Stefan Kraft, says that it is common to study the equipment of the best. – Last year we saw a lot of Halvor and what he was doing. You look up to the best nations and follow what they do. It is common. I don’t do anything special, I think. I’m in a good mood and this is one of my favorite slopes. I am very happy with the start, says Kraft to news. – We have to take a look – They have come up with something. Germany was a short trip to Lillehammer and then it didn’t look as good as it does now. I will honestly admit that. It would have been interesting to try to find out what they have found out, says Tande to news. Daniel Andre Tande is clear that the Norwegian team has a lot to do before the World Cup in Lillehammer next weekend. Photo: NTB Alexander Stöckl was clearly disappointed after Saturday’s race, and announces action. – We have to look at what it is. Whether it’s something on a suit or on skis or bindings. We are going to take some pictures and analyze the TV broadcast to find out what it really is. But it’s a combination, because you can see that the group skis very well technically, he says to news. Granerud believes Norway got a bit closer to the Germans and Austrians only from Saturday to Sunday. – We have a support staff who are super dedicated and work like clockwork. It felt better both technically and in terms of equipment for me today, and I also hope it continues, Granerud told news after the race on Sunday. Weak Norwegian jumping It was a frustrating weekend for Johann André Forfang in particular. He finished fifth and first in qualifying for the two races, but finished 33rd on Saturday and 26th on Sunday in the races themselves. Johann André Forfang did not get it right in this weekend’s race. Photo: NTB Forfang says he has jumped his “best jumps of his life” in recent days with the new regulations. – So that’s not why it doesn’t fit for me. It’s incredibly difficult to figure out what’s going on. I have no immediate recipe for correcting it, so it is incredibly frustrating, he says to news. This week the jumpers are going to Lillehammer. You can watch the qualifications and races for both women and men on news.
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