Ski jumping : Valentin Foubert better than Steve Delaup
Valentin Foubert has made French ski jumping history. On Monday, on the small hill in Predazzo (HS107), the Savoyard took 5th place at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, the best result ever achieved by a Frenchman in the discipline at the Games.
Although he remained at the foot of the podium, the competition was nonetheless remarkable. In a very high-level final, won by Germany’s Philipp Raimund, the Frenchman long held out hope of an even greater feat.
This 5th place does, however, turn the statistical tables. Until now, France’s best individual ranking at the Games dates back to Albertville 1992, when Steve Delaup finished 6th on the large hill, while Didier Mollard finished 8th on the small hill. These are benchmarks that today’s performance surpasses by a notch.
At the age of 23, the jumper from the Courchevel Sports Club has confirmed that he is indeed a man for major events. His progress has been patiently built up on the FIS circuit, culminating today in a place in the last four… or almost.
