Ski Jumping
Hannawald and Schmitt - Dynamic Duo in a Daring Sport

Sven Hannawald, 27, made sports history at the beginning of this year by sweeping all four events at this year's Four Hills ski jumping tournament - an unprecedented achievement. Hannawald's teammate Martin Schmitt, 23, will work hard to match this stellar performance in Salt Lake City, where the two will represent Germany in a sport whose popularity has rocketed along with the careers of these two engaging athletes. The pair of "eagles," as ski-jumpers are respectfully known in German, have lofty goals for their Olympic leaps. The German national team coach, Reinhard Hess, shares their aims.

Sven Hannawald

Hannawald is soaring above the rest.

Born and raised in the Saxon region of former East Germany, where snowy hills dot the landscape and opportunities to learn the sport are ample, Hannawald took his first jump at age 6. The sport quickly became a passion for the young athlete, who began training for and competing in Nordic combined (a mix of cross-country and jumping) events while still in grade school. At age 15, Hannawald's slow progress in cross-country convinced him to concentrate exclusively on the technically demanding jumps. In 1990, Hannawald and his family moved west and settled near the southern city of Ulm. He studied and trained at a nearby ski boarding school, then completed an apprenticeship as a communications electronics specialist. Hannawald now lives and trains full time in Hinterzarten in the Black Forest.

Hannawald debuted on the World Cup circuit during the 1993-1994 season. In 1997, he won his first Four Hills event, then went on to his first Olympic competition at the games in Nagano, where he won a bronze. But exhausting training and competition schedules took their toll. Hannawald suffered a poor winter season in 1998-1999 and concerns swirled on the circuit that Hannawald was too thin or even anorexic and needed to bulk up to perform, though Hannawald denied his weight was an issue. He missed part of the 1999-2000 season due to a viral infection but still finished fourth in the World Cup standings. Hannawald says it wasn't until midway through the 1999-2000 season that he began to regain his confidence and his enjoyment of the sport.

Building on that poise and pleasure, the 2001-2002 season has proven his best yet - with his stunning sweep of the Four Hills tournament and a string of World Cup victories. He seems as astonished by his own performance as the rest of the sporting world. "I don't know how I'm doing this," he admitted after achieving his fifth straight World Cup victory in mid-January 2002. In Salt Lake City, his greatest challenge may be clearing his fans from the slopes - a throng of teenage girls now flocks to any "Hanni" appearance in hopes that one of them may convince the ski jumping star to give up his bachelor ways.

Martin Schmitt

Schmitt has often tasted victory.

Teammate and four-time world champion Martin Schmitt is no less sought after by the girls - or the sponsors - and appears determined to stay hard on Hannawald's heels. Schmitt was born in the Black Forest village of Tannheim, where he and his older brother Thorsten, who also competes for Germany's national team, both took to ski jumping at early ages. Schmitt first jumped at age 6, when he was asked to fill in for another young athlete on short notice. Although he only managed to cover 11 meters on the 25-meter hill, he was hooked. Schmitt was interested in Nordic combined, but at age 12 he broke his leg and had to give up the cross-country portion of that sport.

His devotion to jumping has paid off: In 1999, he won a large hill world title and led Germany to the team world title. He also won his first overall World Cup crown and was named Germany's Male Athlete of the Year. Schmitt's 1999-2000 season was even more impressive. He has won 11 individual World Cup events - the most-ever victories in a season - and earned his second overall World Cup title. Before Hannawald's rise to stardom, Schmitt nearly single-handedly raised the national profile of his sport. In 1999, for example, three years of television rights for the renowned Four Hills tournament were sold to a German network for more than ten times what such a rights package cost just eight years prior.

Salt Lake City

Located at 7,350 feet, Utah's Olympic Park is the highest of any World Cup venue in the world. Competitors will not only have to negotiate sometimes-gusty winds whipping up the run, but also must remain aloft and in control in the thin air. There are three types of ski-jump event: the individual normal hill, on a ramp that is 90 meters high, the individual large hill, on a ramp of 120 meters and the team large hill, fought out on the same 120 meter ramp.

It's "gentlemen only" at the top of the ramp, as women do not yet compete in this sport. The jump itself begins with self-propelled motion, then gravity and momentum do the rest, as the jumper hurtles down the ramp. He lifts off from the ramp edge with a quick straightening of the knees and stretching of the body. Timing is critical in the takeoff as this element determines the distance of the jump. Typically, a jumper will be in the air for four or five seconds, though a well-executed flight may seem more like a majestic flight of minutes. Landing is critical, requiring steadiness and elasticity as well as perfect placement of the skis and calculated weight distribution to avoid injury.

Ski jumping has always been part of the winter Olympics - the first individual competitions were held on the large hill ramp at Chamonix, France in 1924. Norway and Finland dominate the top Olympic rankings in this sport with 24 and 10 medals, respectively - something Hannawald and Schmitt seem determined to change.

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