While the men in ski jumping are currently chasing long distances at the Four Hills Tournament, the women’s New Year’s tournament took place in the past few days. At the final competition in Ljubno, there was a bitter shock of injury.
The new year could hardly have started much worse for Ursa Bogataj. The Slovenian ski jumper fell heavily after landing in Ljubno and was unable to leave the run-off zone on her own.
The two-time Olympic champion is threatened with a long forced break. The 27-year-old is suspected of having a cruciate ligament tear in her left knee. Already three years ago, Bogataj had to sit out in ski jumping for a long time. At that time, the winter athlete was suffering from an injury to her right knee.
As a result, Bogataj was able to fight back. The Slovenian celebrated her greatest successes last winter. At the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Bogataj won gold on the normal hill and in the mixed event.
“Two Hills Tournament” in ski jumping?
After the heavy fall at the New Year’s tournament, the Slovenian team is sobered. “Without her, the continuation of the season will be very difficult. In any case, we have to wait for the official statement from the doctors. I wish her all the best,” Slovenia’s head coach Zoran Zupancic is quoted as saying by “siol.net”.
While Bogataj will have bad memories of the ski jumping event, Austria’s Eva Pinkelnig was happy about the overall victory.
The New Year’s tournament is a kind of replacement for the Four Hills Tournament in women’s ski jumping. For years, the athletes have been fighting for a larger platform and a start in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen.
In the coming winter there will probably be at least one “Two Hills Tournament”. “We have sent our World Cup locations into the race. There will definitely be two World Cups for women in Germany. On December 29th in Partenkirchen and on January 1st in Oberstdorf,” said Horst Hüttel, team manager of the German Ski Association, to the ” ARD”.