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Slovenia's Timi Zujc was unhurt
Photo: IMAGO/GEPA pictures/ Oliver Lerch / IMAGO/GEPA pictures
The bizarre 161.5 meter flight of the Slovenian Timi Zajc in the mixed competition keeps the ski jumping scene busy at the World Cup in Willingen.
»Something like that shouldn't really happen, you have to say that.
That's very dangerous.
I hope he's safe.
Something like that can turn out really badly," criticized Germany's top athlete Karl Geiger.
With strongly changing winds, Zajc caught a particularly large updraft and was still three to four meters in the air in the actual landing area.
Although the Slovene broke off the jump prematurely, he came to an actually utopian distance on this hill and fell.
His jump was eight and a half meters further than the hill record.
Jumpers were not protected
The 22-year-old pilot then gave the all-clear.
“I'm fine, but I was really scared.
It's far too dangerous for a competition,” said Zajc.
At World Cup competitions, the organizers are responsible for protecting the health of the athletes in accordance with the weather conditions.
In this specific case, however, this was only the case after the Zajc jump - the competition was canceled after the first round.
The former world-class athlete Andreas Goldberger classified the completely unusual Zajc flight as follows: »It's like jumping off the five-meter board into dry land.
Or you squat with 250 kilos.«
ARD expert Sven Hannawald praised the Slovenian for his reaction: "Only a few can do that.
Everyone else who is in such a situation for the first time hurts their knees completely.”
mfu/dpa