“Cheeky” – Martin Schmitt criticizes Timi Zajc

Trouble at the Four Hills Tournament

“Cheeky”: Martin Schmitt criticizes ski jumpers

Timi Zajc was disqualified in both Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Both times he had ignored the rules. Martin Schmitt has no understanding of this.

Red card for Timi Zajc: The Slovenian ski jumper has been banned from the rest of the Four Hills Tournament after his second disqualification. At the New Year’s jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the Slovenian’s suit deviated from the norm by four millimeters, which is why Zajc was disqualified before his first jump.

Eurosport expert Martin Schmitt believes the red card was the right decision: “It’s a lesson for him. I think it’s cheeky – and not in a good way. I felt a bit sorry for him in Oberstdorf. But I have absolutely no understanding of what happened here.”

After Zajc was disqualified in Oberstdorf, the Slovenian joked on Instagram that he wanted to stretch his suit a bit. Schmitt believes that this also had an effect on the checks when jumping in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. “Because of his laughing-laughing, the inspector probably thought today: Well, let’s check before the jump and not after, when you’ve stretched it. And then it didn’t work again,” said the former world-class ski jumper. “That’s consistent and gives Timi Zajc a little pause for thought.”

Karl Geiger sees it similarly to Martin Schmitt. “It can happen, but if it happens for the second time in a row, I have to say: It can’t happen. That’s of course very frustrating for the athlete,” said the German ski jumper about his opponent’s renewed violation.

For all other participants in the Four Hills Tournament there will be a break tomorrow, Friday, before the qualification takes place in Innsbruck on Saturday.