Ski jumping at the 1928 Winter Olympics
Encyclopedia
The men's ski jumping
at the 1928 Winter Olympics
took place at Olympiaschanze St. Moritz
on 18 February. Thirty-eight competitors from thirteen nations competed, with the event being won by Norway's
Alf Andersen
ahead of countryman Sigmund Ruud
; Czechoslovakia's
Rudolf Burkert
came in third.
had won the ski jumping at the 1924 Winter Olympics
and has also won the 1926 FIS Nordic World Championships, making him reigning Olympic and World champion. The rest of the delegation was Alf Andersen, Sigmund Ruud—the oldest of the Ruud brothers—and Hans Kleppen. Andersen had won all eight Norwegian qualifications for the Olympics. Other favorites were Rudolf Burkert and the host nation's Gérard Vuilleumier. Asia participated for the first time in an international tournament with Japan's
Motohiko Ban.
Canada
had originally planned to send two ski jumpers, Nels Nelsen
and Melbourne McKenzie, to the event. Nelsen, at the time held the record for the longest ski jump. However, lack of funding meant that they planned for work for their fare on a freighter. These plans were stopped by officials from the British delegation, who organized the Canadian team, who felt it was inappropriate and not fitting for the team, and Nelsen never competed in any Winter Olympics.
, with a construction point
of 66 meters. The jury consisted of Østgaard of Norway, Jilek of Czechoslovakia and Straumann of Switzerland. Because of ice on the in-run, a reduced speed was used during the first round. By the break, the three Norwegians Andersen, Ruud and Thams were in the lead, while Kleppen had fallen. Behind the Norwegians were Burket and Vuilleumier.
In the break, a number of middle Europeans, including Vuilleumier and Bruno Trojani, asked for top speed. This was protested by the Scandinavian and United States jumpers, and a 40-minute discussion broke out. At one point, one of the facilitators at the in-run received a telephone call confirming top speed. The facilitator was skeptical, and chose to call back to the judges, and they could confirm that they had not given such a go-ahead. In the end, the judges chose to allow higher speeds, with a compromise of 5 meters more distance. However, the facilitator only moved the rope 4.5 meters. This made the Swiss furious, and they used their knives to cut the rope. They then accused the participants who were opposed to full speed cowards.
Andersen and Ruud skied down the in-run in a standing position to reduce their speed, and had the two longest standing jumps.
The event is regarded as the international break-through for Ruud. Thams gave full speed and landed at 73.0 meters, but fell and ended on a 28th place. Had he stood, it would have been a new world record. The wounds were serious enough that he had to be taken to hospital. Afterwards he stated "I at least showed those guys that we are not cowards". Also Vuillemiuer and Trojani became subject to the higher speeds, with both falling and ending with a 30th and 32nd place. Ban had the shortest jump in both rounds, and ended last.
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
at the 1928 Winter Olympics
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...
took place at Olympiaschanze St. Moritz
Olympiaschanze St. Moritz
Olympiaschanze St. Moritz was a ski jumping venue in St. Moritz, Switzerland, it was built in 1926 and closed in 2006. The ski jumping and the ski jumping part of the nordic combined event for the 1928 Winter Olympics.Its K-point was 66 mm.-References:...
on 18 February. Thirty-eight competitors from thirteen nations competed, with the event being won by Norway's
Norway at the 1928 Winter Olympics
Norway competed at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Norway ranked first in the total medal count, as they had in the inaugural 1924 Games.-Medalists:- Cross-country skiing:Men- Figure skating:Women- Nordic combined :...
Alf Andersen
Alf Andersen
Alf Steen Andersen was a Norwegian ski jumper.He was born in Drammen, but represented the Oslo clubs Sandaker SFK, Skeid and SFK Lyn. He won the gold medal in the individual large hill at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz...
ahead of countryman Sigmund Ruud
Sigmund Ruud
Sigmund Ruud was a Norwegian ski jumper.Born in Kongsberg, Norway, Sigmund Ruud, with his brothers Birger and Asbjørn, dominated ski jumping in the 1920s and 1930s. At the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Sigmund earned a silver medal in the ski jumping competition...
; Czechoslovakia's
Czechoslovakia at the 1928 Winter Olympics
Czechoslovakia competed at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.Rudolf Burkert won first Czechoslovak medal from Winter Olympics...
Rudolf Burkert
Rudolf Burkert
Rudolf Burkert was a Ethnic German Czechoslovak Nordic skier who competed in the 1920s and 1930's. He won a bronze medal in the ski jumping individual large hill competition at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz...
came in third.
Background
Norway sent a strong delegation with four participants able to win the event. Jacob Tullin ThamsJacob Tullin Thams
Jacob Tullin "Tulla" Thams was a Norwegian Olympian. He won the first Olympic ski jumping gold medal in 1924, and became the third person to medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics in 1936 as a member of the silver medal-winning...
had won the ski jumping at the 1924 Winter Olympics
Ski jumping at the 1924 Winter Olympics
At the 1924 Winter Olympics one individual ski jumping event was contested. It was held on Monday, February 4, 1924. The event was unusual, as the bronze medallist was not properly rewarded until 50 years later. Originally, Thorleif Haug was awarded third place, but a calculation error had been made...
and has also won the 1926 FIS Nordic World Championships, making him reigning Olympic and World champion. The rest of the delegation was Alf Andersen, Sigmund Ruud—the oldest of the Ruud brothers—and Hans Kleppen. Andersen had won all eight Norwegian qualifications for the Olympics. Other favorites were Rudolf Burkert and the host nation's Gérard Vuilleumier. Asia participated for the first time in an international tournament with Japan's
Japan at the 1928 Winter Olympics
Japan competed at the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.- Cross-country skiing:Men- Nordic combined :Events:* 18 km cross-country skiing* normal hill ski jumping...
Motohiko Ban.
Canada
Canada at the 1928 Winter Olympics
Canada competed at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Canada has competed at every Winter Olympic Games.-Medalists:- Cross-country skiing:Men- Figure skating:MenWomenPairs- Ice hockey:-Medal round:...
had originally planned to send two ski jumpers, Nels Nelsen
Nels Nelsen
Nels Nelsen , born Nils Johan Nilsen and sometimes incorrectly referred to as Nels Nelson, was a Norwegian-born Canadian ski jumper and later ski jumping organizer. He was among the world's best ski jumpers during the 1920s, and held the world record of 73 meters from 1925 to 1930...
and Melbourne McKenzie, to the event. Nelsen, at the time held the record for the longest ski jump. However, lack of funding meant that they planned for work for their fare on a freighter. These plans were stopped by officials from the British delegation, who organized the Canadian team, who felt it was inappropriate and not fitting for the team, and Nelsen never competed in any Winter Olympics.
Race
Eight thousand spectators attended the event, which was held at Olympiaschanze St. MoritzOlympiaschanze St. Moritz
Olympiaschanze St. Moritz was a ski jumping venue in St. Moritz, Switzerland, it was built in 1926 and closed in 2006. The ski jumping and the ski jumping part of the nordic combined event for the 1928 Winter Olympics.Its K-point was 66 mm.-References:...
, with a construction point
Construction point
The construction point, also known as the critical point, calculation point, K-point and K-spot, is a line across a ski jumping hill which indicates the hill's steepest point in meters. It was formerly used to classify the size of a ski jumping hill, and to calculate the number of points granted by...
of 66 meters. The jury consisted of Østgaard of Norway, Jilek of Czechoslovakia and Straumann of Switzerland. Because of ice on the in-run, a reduced speed was used during the first round. By the break, the three Norwegians Andersen, Ruud and Thams were in the lead, while Kleppen had fallen. Behind the Norwegians were Burket and Vuilleumier.
In the break, a number of middle Europeans, including Vuilleumier and Bruno Trojani, asked for top speed. This was protested by the Scandinavian and United States jumpers, and a 40-minute discussion broke out. At one point, one of the facilitators at the in-run received a telephone call confirming top speed. The facilitator was skeptical, and chose to call back to the judges, and they could confirm that they had not given such a go-ahead. In the end, the judges chose to allow higher speeds, with a compromise of 5 meters more distance. However, the facilitator only moved the rope 4.5 meters. This made the Swiss furious, and they used their knives to cut the rope. They then accused the participants who were opposed to full speed cowards.
Andersen and Ruud skied down the in-run in a standing position to reduce their speed, and had the two longest standing jumps.
The event is regarded as the international break-through for Ruud. Thams gave full speed and landed at 73.0 meters, but fell and ended on a 28th place. Had he stood, it would have been a new world record. The wounds were serious enough that he had to be taken to hospital. Afterwards he stated "I at least showed those guys that we are not cowards". Also Vuillemiuer and Trojani became subject to the higher speeds, with both falling and ending with a 30th and 32nd place. Ban had the shortest jump in both rounds, and ended last.
Results
The following is a list of all participants, noting their rank, country, the length in the first and second round, and the judge score for each of the three judges, as well as the final score. (F) denotes a fall.| Rank | Ski jumper | Length 1 | Length 2 | Judge 1 | Judge 2 | Judge 3 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60.0 | 64.0 | 19.250 | 19.375 | 19.000 | 19.208 | |
| 2 | 57.5 | 62.5 | 18.125 | 18.875 | 18.625 | 18.524 | |
| 3 | 57.0 | 59.5 | 17.562 | 18.312 | 17.937 | 17.937 | |
| 4 | 53.5 | 60.0 | 16.937 | 16.875 | 16.937 | 16.937 | |
| 5 | 48.0 | 59.0 | 16.750 | 16.875 | 16.500 | 16.708 | |
| 6 | 53.0 | 59.5 | 16.437 | 16.937 | 16.687 | 16.687 | |
| 7 | 52.0 | 58.0 | 16.500 | 16.375 | 16.750 | 16.541 | |
| 8 | 52.5 | 58.5 | 16.500 | 16.250 | 16.625 | 16.458 | |
| 9 | 50.0 | 57.0 | 16.500 | 16.375 | 16.000 | 16.291 | |
| 10 | 51.5 | 61.0 | 16.062 | 16.437 | 16.062 | 16.187 | |
| 11 | 48.5 | 62.0 | 15.812 | 15.687 | 16.562 | 16.020 | |
| 12 | 50.0 | 56.0 | 15.625 | 15.750 | 16.125 | 15.833 | |
| 13 | 50.0 | 59.0 | 15.750 | 15.375 | 16.125 | 15.750 | |
| 14 | 49.0 | 56.0 | 15.125 | 16.125 | 15.500 | 15.583 | |
| 15 | 46.0 | 59.0 | 15.250 | 15.750 | 15.500 | 15.500 | |
| 16 | 49.0 | 51.0 | 15.375 | 15.500 | 15.625 | 15.500 | |
| 17 | 46.5 | 53.5 | 15.250 | 15.375 | 15.375 | 15.333 | |
| 18 | 51.0 | 53.0 | 14.875 | 15.500 | 15.500 | 15.291 | |
| 19 | 49.5 | 54.0 | 14.437 | 14.687 | 14.437 | 14.853 | |
| 20 | 49.5 | 51.0 | 14.687 | 14.812 | 14.437 | 14.728 | |
| 21 | 48.5 | 49.0 | 14.312 | 14.687 | 14.437 | 14.478 | |
| 22 | 45.0 | 47.5 | 13.937 | 14.437 | 13.562 | 13.978 | |
| 23 | 41.0 | 58.0 | 14.000 | 13.375 | 14.374 | 13.917 | |
| 24 | 44.0 | 54.0 | 13.375 | 14.750 | 13.375 | 13.833 | |
| 25 | 41.0 | 53.0 | 12.875 | 13.375 | 13.250 | 13.166 | |
| 26 | 40.5 | 47.0 | 12.562 | 13.062 | 12.437 | 12.678 | |
| 27 | 41.5 | 46.5 | 12.437 | 12.937 | 12.437 | 12.604 | |
| 28 | 56.5 | 11.187 | 13.687 | 12.812 | 12.562 | ||
| 29 | 36.5 | 52.0 | 12.312 | 11.812 | 12.062 | 12.062 | |
| 30 | 57.5 | 11.687 | 11.562 | 12.812 | 12.020 | ||
| 31 | 52.0 | 11.125 | 12.000 | 11.375 | 11.500 | ||
| 32 | 48.5 | 9.562 | 11.385 | 11.437 | 10.782 | ||
| 33 | 46.5 | 10.312 | 10.312 | 9.437 | 10.020 | ||
| 34 | 49.5 | 10.687 | 8.187 | 10.187 | 9.687 | ||
| 35 | 35.0 | 40.0 | 8.125 | 7.875 | 8.375 | 8.125 | |
| 36 | 4.500 | 4.500 | 7.500 | 6.500 | |||
| 37 | 5.000 | 7.000 | 7.000 | 6.333 | |||
| 38 | 39.0 | 4.000 | 3.750 | 4.250 | 4.000 |