Ski jumping: Valentin Foubert begins to dream
He kept improving his performances throughout the winter, getting used to the top 10, but Valentin Foubert wants better. And why not an Olympic medal on the Predazzo springboard?
With a first jump of 102.5m, the Frenchman was provisionally second in the small jump competition on Monday evening in Italy, just behind Germany’s Philipp Raimund by just one point. But the final round promises to be tight: the top eight are all within five points of each other. And the Frenchman is not the only one dreaming of a medal.
Two new springboard records at 107m and jumps that were piling up: the jumpers were within a handful of each other. Unfortunately, Valentin Foubert (102.5 metres twice) failed to finish in 5th place. Ahead of him, Germany’s Philipp Raimund (102 and 106 metres) was declared Olympic champion, even though he had never won a World Cup.
“I was super nervous on the first jump, but less so on the second. I knew I just had to do it again,” the new Olympic champion told Eurosport.
He beat an unexpected silver medallist: the young Pole Kacper Tomasiak (103 and 107 metres). “I’m happy, but also tired, because this is what I’ve been working towards for a long time. It’s a dream come true. I’m a bit surprised to be on the podium, I wasn’t expecting it today at the Olympics,” the young Pole told Eurosport.
Switzerland’s Gregor Deschwanden (106 and 107 metres) and Japan’s Ren Nikaido (101 and 106.5 metres) shared bronze. “I didn’t wear the official podium gear because I thought I was too far off[…] I’ve got the medal, that’s all that matters. I did my best jumps of the season, the most important day of the season”, the Swiss bronze medallist told Eurosport.
The big disappointment was for Domen Prevc (100 and 105 metres). Like his sister two days ago, the Slovenian failed to confirm his exceptional season and finished sixth.
Les Bleus proud of themselves
As well as Valentin Foubert’s incredible performance, his team-mates were not to be outdone. While Jules Chervet gained further experience and finished 43rd, Enzo Milesi (99.5 and 95.5) was 30th, his first career top 30.
Full results
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