During the team competition at the Ski Jumping World Championships, Thomas Turnbichler made a very risky decision. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off for the Poles who finished off the podium. Now the coach explains why he made this choice.
After the second individual event at the World Championships in Planica, it seemed that the Polish team was strong enough to win a medal in the team event as well. Great performances by David Kubatsky (bronze medal) and Kamil Stoch (4th place), as well as the recent triumph of Piotr Zhyla (gold and title defense on a small hill) made the group believe in success. Even Thomas Turnbichler announced an open fight for gold. In the meantime, Byalo-Chervoni ended the competition off the podium, and this was greatly influenced by the risky decision of the breeder.
Risky maneuver by Thomas Turnbichler in the team competition
Already after the first series, our compatriots did not go well. In hindsight, it seemed odd that Alexander Znischol jumped third in line, which could be because he could have lost due to a beam being lowered. Petr Zhyla also failed, jumping far below his capabilities.
Therefore, before the last jump in the competition, the jump of David Kubacki, Turnbichler decided on a risky maneuver. At that time, our compatriots were 14.1 points behind the podium. Therefore, the Austrian asked for a lower takeoff. This can result in a big discount in points, but a 33-year-old player will still have to make the jump to 95 percent. hill, which is 131 meters. Unfortunately, he did not reach this threshold. He flew 128.5 meters and therefore the Poles had to put up with 4th place.
Thomas Turnbichler explains why he wanted to lower the arrow
- I checked the conditions on the ski jumps in the last round, they seemed stable. I was sure that David could do it, — said the coach of Eurosport. Thus, he explained why he asked to lower the log from the 11th to the 9th position. “He had a good jump, but he missed the distance a little.
- I am disappointed. Fourth place is not what we wanted. I’m sure we could afford a medal. Others have done what we must do.
Source: Wprost
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have been an author at Daily News Hack for the past 1 year. I mostly cover sports news, but I also have a keen interest in current affairs and politics. In my spare time, I enjoy playing tennis and spending time with my family.
