Nordic Roundup: Hautamaeki, Bjoergen, WJCs, summer jumping

Nordic Roundup: Hautamaeki, Bjoergen, WJCs, summer jumping{mosimage}Invisible through the first half of the winter, ski jumper Matti Hautamaeki of Finland, who holds the world record for distance (231 meters – Planica, Slovenia, in 2003) has elevated his profile since the first week in February.

Hautamaeki won the pre-Olympic contest on the big hill February 11 in Pragelato, Italy, competed at the world championships in Oberstdorf, Germany (17th on the small hill, sixth on the big hill), and then started shredding the World Cup tour. Through Sunday, he had won five straight World Cup meets, including all four since the end of worlds; that gives him 13 wins in his career as he heads toward the end of the season this weekend in Planica. While teammate Janne Ahonen won the first 11 meets of the season – and currently has a record 13 for Winter ’05 – and has cooled recently, Hautamaeki has sizzled.

In a post-event press conference after winning Sunday at Holmenkollen in Oslo, Hautamaeki said he was nervous before the event. After he took the first round lead, though, he felt more confident and that helped in front of a crowd estimated at 25,000. In winning, he poached the victory from Bjoern Einar Romoeren, an Oslo native who was second for his first top-three of the winter.

Bjoergen not in a panic over sprint woes

Norway’s Marit Bjoergen ruled the sprint for two years, winning the sprint world title in Val di Fiemme, Italy, in 2003. She ruled it for the first part of this season, using sprint wins as a cornerstone as she rolled to her first World Cup title.

But Bjoergen has proven human in sprints over the last little while. Most notably, she failed to qualify for sprint finals at the World Championships. Last week, she was fifth in the classic sprint in Drammen, Norway, “I do not feel I have lost my touch,” she said. she was sick in Lahti, Finland, the previous weekend, and in Drammen she lost her left ski during the semifinal heat.

She made up for its Saturday at Holmenkollen, though. Bjoergen, who finished last season saying she hoped to win a distance race, and then captured a couple this season, emphasized what she can do when she’s healthy (and her skis stay on) as she motored to victory in the 30km CL on the fabled tracks above the City of Oslo.

World Juniors ready to start

The nordic World Junior Championships start next week in Rovaniemi, Finland, which is up on the Arcitc Circle, about 500 miles north of Helsinki. The city has a terrific nordic competition heritage, having hosted a gang of cross-country, jmuping and nordic combined World cup events. Opening Ceremonies are Sunday and the first events are cross-country races Monday. The WJCs continue through March 26.

Will Holmenkollen okay summer jumping?

The ski jumping Summer Grand prix takes place almost exclusively in central Europe. Any chance it might spread to Norway’s famed Holmenkollen, the hilltop venue, which just concluded its 113th Skifestival and is considered by many to be the so-called Vatican of nordic skiing?

Officials at Holmenkollen

reportedly are looking at opening the hallowed hill to summertime ski jumping. No decision has been made but opening the jump to summer – or “preseason” to some – events would be one way of increasing interest and revenues in the warm weather. “We’re looking at the possibility,” Oslo sports chief Steinar Helgesen told the norwegian Broascasting Corp (NRK). “We haven’t reached any conclusions.”

The venue has started charging tourists to meander around the sitel admission includes entry to the pintsize but history-rich museum at the base of the 115-meter jumping hill. One sotto voce is the need to upgrade the jump, which can be treacherous because of its swirling winds; officials know they need to upgrade the facility if they have a shot at landing the 2011 nordic World Championships. The 2007 Worlds are ticketed for Sapporo, Japan, and head to Liberec in the Czech Republic in 2009.