Ski jumping legend Janne Ahonen obviously can’t help it. The 46-year-old sparked renewed comeback rumors with a cryptic post.
Ahonen posted a photo of ski jumping boots on Instagram.
He wrote: “The Finnish ski jumping championships are taking place in Lahti in March! I was wondering if I should put my shoes in hot water to make them softer?”
For the Finnish newspaper “Iltalehti” this is a clear indication of Ahonen’s comeback. “A delicious clue,” wrote the paper.
Ahonen had already competed at the last two national championships. In 2022, the five-time world champion made the title fights his personal show event.
At that time he jumped out of retirement straight onto the podium and won the bronze medal. Only the two still active World Cup starters Antti Aalto and Eetu Nousiainen finished ahead of him.
Fun is the priority for ski jumping legend Ahonen
However, last year he was unable to build on his successes and had nothing to do with the medal decisions.
After jumps of 85 and 86 meters, Ahonen missed another top result. But that wasn’t a problem at all for the oldie. “The most important thing is that I had fun,” said Ahonen in an interview with Finnish Radio after the competition.
Even back then, Ahonen didn’t want to decide whether he would finally end his career. He skillfully smiled away any questions and said: “That was a tough season. It lasted half a day. Let the snow melt first and then we’ll see what happens.”
Ahonen ended his active career in October 2018 – permanently, as it was said at the time.
Ahonen is one of the most successful ski jumpers of all time. The Finn became world champion five times, is a two-time overall World Cup winner and won the Four Hills Tournament five times.