Teams for the Olympics in Sochi announced!

Teams for the Olympics in Sochi announced!

28/01/2014 11:37

The 22nd Winter Olympic Games which will be held in Sochi are getting closer and closer. We know all the teams which will compete at this prestigious event which starts on 7th February. On the start of the Olympics we will see 70 male and 30 female ski jumpers from 20 countries. Athletes will compete in 4 competitions: in the individual competitions on the normal hill (men and women), on the big hill and in the team competition (only men).

On the start list of the competitions we will see a lot of experienced, but also debutants for which it will be the first Olympics in their careers.

In the Austrian team we will see Thomas Morgenstern, who after his terribly crash on Kulm comes back to health and for who it will be the 3rd Olympic Games in career. Beside him in the team found themselves Andreas Kofler and Gregor Schlierenzauer who have also performed at the Olympics. In addition, Alexander Pointner will take to Russia two debutants - the winner of the Four Hills Tournament Thomas Diethart and Michael Hayboeck.

The ladies’ coach Harald Rodlauer decided that in the first ever ladies’ olympic ski jumping competition Austria will be represented by Daniela Iraschko-Stolz and Chiara Hoelzl.

Canada will be represented by Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes, Matthew Rowley, Dusty Korek and Trevor Morrice. Boyd-Clowes and Morrice performed at the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, but for Korek and Rowley it will be debut competitions.

In the Canadian ladies’ team we will see Atsuko Tanaka, Taylor Henrich and Alexandra Pretorius.

From the Czech Republic to Sochi will go Jan Matura, Jakub Janda, Roman Koudelka, Antonin Hajek, Lukas Hlava. All of them competed in the Olympics already.

Finland will be represented by Janne Ahonen, for who it will be his 6th Olympic Games. His debut in the ski jumping competitions on the Olympics will have Anssi Koivuranta, who represented his country twice in the nordic combined competitions. Beside them we will see also two rookies Jarkko Maeaettae and Olli Muotka and coming back after injury Janne Happonen.

The only woman who will represent Finland at the Olympics will be Julia Kykkaenen.

France will be represented by Ronan Lamy-Chappuis, Julia Clair, Lea Lemare and Coline Mattel.

From Germany in Sochi we will see Richard Freitag, Severin Freund, Andreas Wellinger, Andreas Wank and Marinus Kraus and four ladies - Carina Vogt, Katharina Althaus, Gianina Ernst and Ulrike Graessler. The interesting fact is that among the Germans only Andreas Wank performed at the Olympics before in Vancouver 2010.

Italy will be represented by Davide Bresadola, Roberto Dellasega, Sebastian Colloredo, Evelyn Insam and Elena Runggaldier.

From Japan to the Olympics are going Noriaki Kasai for who it will be his seventh Olympic Games, Daiki Ito, Taku Takeuchi, Reruhi Shimizu, Yuta Watase, Sara Takanashi, Yuki Ito and Yurina Yamada.

Norway will be represented by Anders Bardal, Anders Fannemel, Anders Jacobsen, Rune Velta, Daniel Andre Tande, Line Jahr, Maren Lundby and Helena Olsson Smeby.

The Polish head coach is taking with him to Sochi Kamil Stoch, Maciej Kot, Jan Ziobro, Piotr Zyla and Dawid Kubacki. Among the Poles only Kamil Stoch performed at the Olympics - twice in 2006 and 2010.

The USA sends to Sochi the strongest team composed of Nick Fairall, Nick Alexander, Anders Johnson, Peter Frenette, Jessica Jerome, Sarah Hendrickson and Lindsey Van.

Switzerland will be represented by Simon Ammann, Gregor Deschwanden and Bigna Windmueller.

Slovenia will be represented by Peter Prevc, Robert Kranjec, Jurij Tepes, Jaka Hvala, Jernej Damjan, Spela Rogelj, Katja Pozun, Maja Vtic and Eva Logar.

The hosts team will be composed of Dimitry Vassiliev, Denis Kornilov, Alexey Romashov, Mikhail Maksimochkin, Ilmir Hazetdinov and Irina Avvakumova.

At the Olympics we will see also other nations which will be represented by:

Bulgaria - Vladimir Zografski

Estonia - Kaarel Nurmsalu, Siim-Tanel Sammelselg

Greece - Nico Polychronidis

Kazakhstan - Alexey Pchelintsev

Romania - Iulian Pitea

South Korea - Heung-Chul Choi, Hyun-Ki Kim, Chil-Ku Kang, Seou Choi

By Anna Sobol (@AnneAZS)