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Maren Lundby had all the prerequisites to take the gold in the historic big hill exercise in WC on Wednesday, when she clinked with a whopping 128-meter jump and a total of 139.8 points in the first half.
And she delivered. Lundby claimed historic gold after the 130.5-meter jump, claiming his seventh world championship victory.
– I don’t understand how good I am now. That he should be able to do it, he hadn’t thought. Becoming a world champion in itself is not something I envisioned a few weeks ago, and it is happening now. That combination is something in itself.
Sports director Clas Brede Bråthen is simply speechless about what Lundby just did.
– This means so much that I can’t describe it. She has struggled all season, and then wins the race that she has done herself, Bråthen says with tears in her eyes.
Lost the medal
Her teammate Silje Opseth also made a very strong jump of 138 meters in the second half, but had to see the medal slip when she blistered from the impact and finally fell.
A crying Opseth came out of the wrecked stadium.
– If he had managed to quell its impact, he would have secured the silver medal, says NRK expert Johann Remen Evensen.
However, Opseth managed to stifle disappointment and ran over to Lundby to give him a big hug.
– It’s great that I can keep it, Evensen continues.
See the jump to Opseth here.
Lost the spark
Jumping management, teammates and competitors alike thank Maren Lundby for getting a great hill on the show, but the gold winner acknowledges that it has been difficult at times.
– If it hadn’t been for Maren Lundby, there would have been no race here, Clas sports manager Brede Bråthen said after qualifying on Tuesday.
The sporting director of the Norwegian jumpers is very clear.
Sports director of the Norwegian jumpers, Clas Brede Bråthen.
Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB
Lundby takes a lot of credit for the fact that, for the first time, a women’s big hill jump can be organized in this WC.
No more than a year ago the message got out that female jumpers should not be allowed to jump off a large hill in Oberstdorf, despite being allowed to do so in the test WC.
The women had also jumped a big hill at the World Cup since the 2012-13 season.
– To be honest, I’m losing the spark, said then frustrated Maren Lundby, who had already spent a lot of time and many years of her career at the forefront of women’s rights in sport.
Among other things, she has stated that she feels she could become Minister of Gender Equality.
Now she was on the verge of being discouraged by all the adversity of the FIS, which for many years has had a conservative attitude towards women in the sport of jumping.
See Lundby’s first jump here.
– he was a cook here
But the jumper regained the spark and, together with national team coach Christian Meyer, sports director Clas Brede Bråthen and the Norwegian Ski Association, a massive campaign was launched for the World Cup organizer to change his position on the theme of the great slopes.
– There was a cook here during competitions last year, Meyer said Tuesday.
– But in the end we get it. It was very interesting to see how things work in the political world.
National team coach Christian Meyer says Lundby’s commitment was crucial in getting FIS back on its feet.
Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / NRK
Finally, the International Ski Federation (FIS) adopted a Norwegian proposal for a great mountain race for women in the WC.
– She (Maren Lundby) pointed out what was not natural, that is, it was the World Test on a big hill, but the World Cup on a small hill, says the coach of the national team, who is convinced that it was the Lundby’s commitment which led to FIS turning around.
Acclaimed by the competition
The work has been noticed and appreciated by other jumpers. Slovenian Nika Krizna pays tribute to Lundby’s efforts.
– I think Maren has taken the international leap to a higher level. For many years she was the jumper that everyone had to do. She and the Norwegian Ski Association have done a lot for women’s ski jumping, she said.
– We had to wait a long time. But we want more, he says before the historic great hill race.
Women are still unable to compete in ski flying or on the big slopes during the Olympics.
