The comeback of Janne Ahonen attracted lots
of attention last weekend in Hinterzarten. And the
36-year-old Finn could show some good performances
in his first appearance on the international stage.
For the five-time 4-Hills-Tournament winner, the
weekend in the Black Forest started with a third
place in the qualification Friday evening, and it
ended with a seventh place in the individual competition
on Sunday.
"It was a good start. Before this competition
I didn't know what to expect, now it will be much
easier to go into the next competitions", Ahonen
is quoted on finnjumping.fi.
Despite the Top 10 result on the hill in Hinterzarten,
the Finn still sees more potential when it comes
to his performance. "In the first jump there
was a lot of room for improvement concerning the
timing. I had to find a solution for that. The second
one was better, but still not very good."
Head coach Pekka Niemelae, who was not in Hinterzarten
last weekend, was satisfied with the results of
his two athletes (Ahonen was seventh, Lauri Asikainen
19th). "The opener of the Grand Prix was positive
for us. It was a good start and it looks promising",
Niemelae told on the website of the Finnish ski
jumping team.