Norwegian Ski Jumpers Shine Despite Suit Scandal

Norway’s ski jumping team continues to thrive following the suspension of world champions Marius Lindvik and Johann André Forfang. In the first World Cup individual event after the World Championships in Trondheim, Anna Odine Ström and Eirin Maria Kvandal both secured spots on the podium.

Competing at the iconic Holmenkollen in Oslo, Ström finished in second place while Kvandal took third, narrowly missing out to Slovenia’s double world champion Nika Prevc. This victory also solidified Prevc’s success in the overall World Cup standings.

The German ski jumpers struggled during the large hill individual event, with Selina Freitag placing eighth, Juliane Seyfarth fourteenth, and Katharina Schmid eighteenth, far from the podium.

Scandal Erupts in Ski Jumping

A scandal erupted in ski jumping last week following the release of anonymously filmed videos showing the Norwegian team, along with head coach Magnus Brevig, tampering with competition suits in an improper manner. The association has acknowledged the wrongdoing in the cases of Lindvik and Forfang, but the scandal may have broader implications.

Olympic champion Severin Freund expressed skepticism that these incidents were isolated, stating, „It is not credible because you have to test it beforehand. It is routine, and you know exactly what you are doing. Why would you do this if you have already won a gold medal on the small hill? It makes absolutely no sense,“ Freund remarked on ZDF.