Will ski jumping icon Simon Ammann get his ticket for the 2026 Olympic Games at the last minute? Coach Bine Norcic is visibly upset during the Ski Flying World Championships, but not only with Ammann.
This is not how Swiss head coach Bine Norcic had imagined the fight for the last Olympic ticket. The duel between four-time Olympic champion Simon Ammann and youngster Felix Trunz turned into a snail’s race.
While Ammann narrowly missed out in 31st place in the first round of the Ski Flying World Championships in Oberstdorf, Trunz only managed 36th. The two Swiss therefore spent Saturday as tourists, as only the top 30 competed in rounds three and four.
“I’m really angry,” commented head coach Norcic on the performance of his ski jumpers. However, he didn’t just mean Ammann and Trunz, but the entire team.
The Swiss national coach Bine Norcic is very angry
Swiss Disappoint at Ski Flying World Championships: “It Cannot Go On Like This”
Ultimately, things didn’t go much better for the Olympic-qualified jumpers Sandro Hauswirth and Gregor Deschwanden either. Hauswirth finished in 26th place, while the actual top flyer Deschwanden only managed 30th.
“It’s not enough. More must come from everyone,” Norcic complained. “We have to analyze this. It cannot go on like this,” he added.
Ammann at the Olympics? Veteran Slightly Ahead
For Ammann and Trunz, the focus is now on making a last good impression in the World Championship team flying event. Currently, the veteran is likely slightly at an advantage, as he has collected a few more points in the World Cup and flew marginally better in Oberstdorf.
The decision is expected after the Ski Flying World Championships. For Ammann, these would be his eighth Olympic Games. The 44-year-old was a double Olympic champion in both 2002 and 2010.
The 19-year-old Trunz, on the other hand, is taking his first steps in the World Cup. At the competition in Sapporo last weekend, he achieved his best World Cup result to date, finishing 23rd.