Nordic Skiingmale jumping
![Il trono di Peter Prevc è attaccabile? [Presentazione della stagione]](https://www.neveitalia.it/foto/albums/userpics/14360/1081_GettyImages-516668872.webp)
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Thursday, with qualifying for the first race of Ruka, officially kick off the XXXVIII male jumping World Cup ski. Despite last season has had an undisputed ruler, there is curiosity to understand what will be the values ​​in the field, since the discipline lends itself to sudden disruptions in the power relationships.
Monday 21 November 2016 13 minutes reading time
2015-'16 made history as the season of Peter Prevc records. Last winter Slovene became the first man to win all the top-level competitions in a single vintage racing (in this case the World Cup, Snow Flight with skiing, the Four Hills Tour and world flight gold), establishing also the primacy of points (2303), that of victories (15 in the world flight +1 World Cup), to podiums (22 + 1) and the series won (33 + 2).
A marcatissimo domain, unprecedented in history. In light of what we saw twelve months ago it is impossible not to consider the twenty-four Gorenjska as the number one favorite to win the Crystal Ball. His off-season is spun off quiet, without any hitch, and summer performance - good, but not exceptional - are certainly not reliable thermometer of its competitiveness, as it had no need to work hard and have probably been made exclusively to keep fit.
If Prevc occur again in the same conditions of the past season, then it is likely to be no tripe for cats. Probably what was achieved in 2015-'16 will remain unique, but certainly in the long run would weaken Slovene any competition.
To play against him is only the recent history of the discipline. In the last decade no one has managed to win two consecutive World Cups. The last to have achieved such a feat was Janne Ahonen in the period 2003-'04 and 2004-'05. However, he may be scared by the cabal a man last year has gone where no one had ever dared? However, at the turn of XX and XXI century, two goals in the field of Crystal balls were normality (besides the aforementioned Ahonen, just remember the cases of Andreas Goldberg, Primoz Peterka, Martin Schmitt and Adam Malysz).
Given that Prevc starts from pole position for winning the overall standings, who could be the opponent in a position to put a spoke in the wheel?
The first name to do it compulsorily to Severin Freund, who as well as being the winner of the 2014-'15 World Cup was third in the overall ranking of the previous season and second in the next. German is undoubtedly endowed with the talent of the technical stability and regularity necessary to battle with the good Peter. However, his summer turned out to be anything but simple.
The Bavarian fact twenty-eight had to undergo hip surgery in the spring, losing four months of training. His return to race at the Summer Grand Prix finish was encouraging, but it's still appeared (understandably) far from his best days. The athletic condition is so unknown that can only be dissolved by proof of the field. The real Freund could be a valuable and credible rival, but we need to understand if we can admire it.
Who surely will not see in action is Kenneth Gangnes, third force of 2015-'16. In June, the Norwegian - as talented as unlucky - it ran in the umpteenth injury to the cruciate ligaments of the knee, making it clear to be pessimistic view also to recover in time for the World Championships in Lahti (February 22 to March 5).
The prosperous Scandinavian movement, although deprived of their leader, however, could still count on a card in a position to fight for the Crystal Ball. It is the young Johann Andre Forfang, 1995 Class powerfully rose to prominence especially in the second part of the last winter. The twenty-one of Tromsø has been proposed as a kind of small clone of the aforementioned Freund and consequently it is not impossible to have all it takes to fight at least for the podium in the overall standings. Among the Fjords it is decidedly lower the chances of Anders Fannemel and Daniel-Andre Tande. Both will be capable of impressive peaks, but their jumping technique - at least the one seen so far - is ill-suited to certain weather conditions (read the ones with the wind behind).
Home Austria expect great things from Stefan Kraft and Michael Hayböck, now entered the elite absolute permanent. Both will fight for the most prestigious goals and will be surprising not to see them in top positions. Along the way, the rot-weiß -rot movement should also recover a Gregor Schlierenzauer regenerated soul, though recovering from a serious injury. There will be great interest to understand what will be the level at which recur the Tyrolean, who currently is assigned the curious status of "decayed phenomenon".
The greatest curiosity but concern Poland, which changed technical guide, relying Austrian Stefan Horngacher. The summer performance was exciting, but confirmed in the winter it is by no means certain. Expectations are high especially around two names. The first is obviously to Kamil Stoch, who after the year of grace 2013-'14 - in which he won the World Cup and two Olympic gold medals - has had to deal with some physical problems too, then sinking into a technique and confidence crisis. If the twenty-nine of Zakopane were forced out of the quagmire in which it is done, then it could automatically recur summit of the discipline. The second Polish to watch will be Maciej Kot, author of a summer simply awesome in which he won hands down the Summer Grand Prix in mind, at times, the best Prevc. Snow is another deal than plastic, but it should not be forgotten as twelve months ago, the GP was encouragement for the final explosion of Gangnes.
It will certainly be interesting to passionately follow the exploits of Noriaki Kasai, for which adjectives are now terminated. At 44 years the Japanese steel appears impervious to the passage of time and, to be number one in the Japanese movement, is preparing to break more records for longevity, as well as representing a serious candidate to enter the top ten of the general classification. On the subject of veterans, the situation appears rather rosy Simon Ammann, who declared this season for him will be decisive: if you were no longer competitive (and after the terrible fall of the January 2015 Bischofshofen rarely was), might decide to hang on a nail skiing.
In an environment of competitiveness exasperated, will be several athletes who will present themselves in turns in the most noble neighborhoods in the standings. Among them there are three to follow with great attention, since they have the right credentials to break into the empyrean of the discipline. Firstly the terrible boy Domen Prevc, younger brother of Peter, already issatosi on the podium last season thanks to an extreme technique and unconsciousness of sixteen. It will be interesting to see if the staff Slovenia has set a long-term work on him, trying to make the jump more solid system of an athlete of enormous potential. The potential is enormous even in the twenty-Andreas Wellinger, but by a two-year period appears to have plafonato without being able to make that additional and indispensable step towards assouta elite, where instead is already in the past Roman Koudelka. Czech is definitely olders than the other two (the 27 years), but has the curious tendency to alternate seasons at the highest level with other anonymous or nearly so; and the last was certainly not memorable.
Finally a few words on Italy. The blue team has changed technical guide, relying on Lukasz Kruczek, who after eight years has left the helm of Poland. During the summer, the results were certainly encouraging with David Bresadola, Sebastian Colloredo and Alex Insam all able to get on the podium at the cadet level. The World Cup is a different kettle of fish, but for sure Italy knows it can count on three jumpers with the potential to make inroads into the points.
The main objective will first verify the degree of competitiveness, then - in a longer term perspective - try to expand the contingent for. Currently Italy can count on the basic quota of 2 breast, add one (by inserting its own athlete in the top-55 of the World Ranking List) would be able to continuously deploy all men with ability to do well in the maximum circuit, without having to make cuts.
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