VANCOUVER WINTER OLYMPICS DAY 9 (Saturday 20 Feb)

A beautiful day at Whistler Olympic Park for Ski Jumping: clear blue skies, virgin white snow; a colourful and excited crowd. On the football-pitch sized field it’s a global picnic as spectators spread their wares and make themselves comfortable. It’s another day of red, white and blue flags – the Scandinavians are here en mass, not forgetting the Swiss and the usual hoards of North Americans.

The judges have set the optimal mark at 125m, meaning a score of 60pts +1.8 for each extra metre and a 1.8 deduction for each metre short of the mark. In addition each jumper can gain 60pts (3x20) for style. With almost no wind it’s perfect conditions for jumping, there is an expectation of 100km/hr take-offs and 140m leaps.

The early jumpers are slow and short, hitting 92km/hr and reaching only 80-90m. Into the top 15 and technique pays dividends, take-off speeds stay around 92-94km/hr though the distances are over 120m. Boy these guys can fly. From our position front of field we see each man push-off down the large hill, briefly disappear behind the lip of the hill and then fly into view over the ridge leaning into their huge 2.5m skis to land only a few metres away.

A slight headwind gets up at the 120m mark offering those good enough to catch it an extra ride. Swiss jumper Simon Amman, the last jumper in round 1, hits the mark: huge air over the ridge line, hanging, hanging, past the K-point at 125m and on, riding the air like a soaring eagle to a staggering 144m. The best of the day, in round 2 Amman lands the second best jump of the day at 138m and deservedly takes gold before his ecstatic Swiss fans.

It’s an awesome sight seeing these guys fly. When Amman takes the air its breathtaking the way he hangs and hangs, body motionless as he rides to victory.