When the 2013/14 World Cup season begins on Friday
with the official training and the qualification
in Klingenthal, one man will be especially in the
center of public interest: Finnish ski jumping legend
Janne Ahonen. The 36-year-old starts his second
comeback in the World Cup this weekend.
The first time Ahonen thought about starting to
jump again and dare another try was last winter.
"It was before the 4-Hills-Tournament. I was
watching ski jumping on TV and thought: "Oh,
this weather would be perfect for me, it could be
a good competition." And I started to ask myself
if I would still have a chance to be successful.
I began to think about it more and more and started
to miss ski jumping", the five-time 4-Hills-Tournament
winner told in an interview with the German newspaper
"Die Welt".
Also the recently bad results of the Finnish team
played a role in his decision to start again. "Somehow
this was also a reason to come back. I thought:
If the ski jumping in Finland is so bad, maybe it
helps if I return. The people are desperately waiting
for success, that's the same for me. I like these
situations, I need this pressure."
Main goals: 4-Hills and the Olympics
For Janne Ahonen, whose medal collection is still
lacking an Olympic medal in an individual event,
Sochi 2014 is of course a goal, but not, as often
speculated, the main reason to jump again. "Of
course the Winter Games in Sochi are the highlight
of the winter, but this was not the reason for my
comeback. The 4-Hills-Tournament and the Olympic
Games are my main goals. In the past it always went
pretty well for me at the 4-Hills-Tournament. I
want to win medals - at the 4-Hills and at the Olympics",
Ahonen is quoted on welt.de.
The two time overall World Cup winner also draws
motivation from the fact that a lot of people don't
believe he can be among the best again. "Everyone
is skeptical, I know. Well, apart from my friends
and people of the ski jumping circuit, who know
that I have a chance to be successful again. Otherwise
I would not try it. But everyone else here in Finland,
and also the media, does not believe in me. This
gives me additional motivation - I like situations
like that, it makes me stronger."
The veteran will represent Finland in the Vogtland-Arena
in Klingenthal together with Lauri Asikainen, Janne
Happonen and Olli Muotka.
