Friday March 26th 2021
“Started to breathe yourself”
Geiger cheers only softly because of the tande shock
One day after Daniel Andre Tande’s terrible fall, the ski jumpers are still a long way from returning to normal. In Slovenia everything is more subdued than usual when Karl Geiger wins. While the Norwegian coach is cautiously giving hope, the shock continues.
Karl Geiger was happy about his grandiose ski flying show and the victory, but there was no big cheer. The spectacular sets from the giant hill in Planica and the wind turbulence were secondary one day after Daniel Andre Tande’s brutal fall. Good wishes for the Norwegian and the concern for his health also shaped what happened at the ski jumping season finale.
The national coach of the Scandinavians, Alexander Stöckl, expressed the great hope that the 27-year-old will get away without permanent health damage. “The first examinations did not reveal anything negative. They did a brain scan and checked the neck. There is nothing to report, that is very positive,” said Stoeckl. “Given the circumstances, he’s doing fine.”
Tande should stay in an artificial coma
On the hill in the Slovenian winter sports stronghold, Geiger prevailed with a flight of 232 meters ahead of the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi and local hero Bor Pavlovcic. “The jump was great,” said the 28-year-old violinist, reporting nervousness and a mishap before pushing off the beam. “The plastic buckle on the top of my shoe broke,” he explained. “The inspector gave me a metal ring from a car key and fortunately I was able to fix it with it.” Because of the strong gusts at times, the competition turned into a tough affair and was canceled after only one round.
Stöckl had previously stated that Tande should initially be kept in an artificial coma. The 2018 world champion had been brought to a hospital in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana the day before after a violent impact in the trial run. Tande was intubated and mechanically ventilated after his fall. “Today we had the positive news that he has already started to breathe himself,” said Stöckl. His jumper has so far been diagnosed with a broken collarbone and a slight puncture of the lungs.
“It was his own mistake”
There had not been such a bad accident in the jumping or flight world cup in a long time. In the past few years, this spectacular sport had become safer, especially in the flight phase. “Such falls have become very rare – thank God,” said Germany’s team manager Horst Hüttel. “A residual risk can never be ruled out at 110 km / h in the air.” Seasoned Severin Freund said: “When it happens, it has an even bigger impact.” The Bavarian added: “Keep your fingers crossed that it will turn out as good as it seems.”
Stöckl does not blame Tande’s horror fall on the external conditions, which were significantly better on Thursday than Geiger’s victory and eighth place for Markus Eisenbichler, or the jury. “We analyzed the video. It was his own mistake,” said the 47-year-old. “He was too aggressive in the first flight phase,” added the Austrian and explained: “He got wide on his skis relatively quickly and then leaned a little on the air. Then he lost contact with the skis. You can actually find nothing, except your own fault. “
Despite the shock in the Norwegian team, Tandes teammates started at the second World Cup in the valley of the hills. “I think that is also in the spirit of Daniel,” said Stoeckl.
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