Ski jumping 2014/2015 season recap: Last weekend of competitions in new Planica.

We have entered into the last weekend of competitions of the season. In what soon will become again the home of ski flying, with probably new world records - despite the ones set in February first by Peter Prevc with 250 meters, later improved the next day by Anders Fannemel with 251.5m-. Planica is always Planica, and it had always left me with a melancholic feeling inside.

Because it means someone in the end will retire - yet will have to learn what the future holds for Simon Ammann, after the swiss decided to end earlier his winter season,by not taking part at the ski flying closing events- and this sport will lose another piece - despite gaining another one - of talent, which has made this sport such an incredible one as everybody know it.

A lot have happened in the season which is about to end. The race to ensure the winner of the 2014/2015 World Cup, it was really thrilling, especially in the last few races of the season.

In a week we have seen the yellow bib passing through Peter Prevc, to Stefan Kraft, then ultimately ending up on Severin Freund shoulders, in Trondheim, and staying put in both races held in Oslo-Holmenkollen. In their own ways these three athletes, made this year quite an interesting one, they would have deserved to win at least one world cup each this season, but unfortunately only one will prevail.

Severin Freund was born in Freyung (GER) on 11th May 1988 the german ski jumper is the one with more chances to end up the season as the champion of the overall world cup title and finishing ahead of Stefan Kraft and Peter Prevc. Olympic champion with the team in Sochi in 2014, the past season, then became ski flying world champion, he then succeeded at Kamil Stoch, as world champion on the LH at this year NSWC in Falun, and is getting close to finish the season, with the overall world cup title too -which was last time won by a German 15 years ago, in the 99/00 season by Martin Schmitt-, meaning that this trophy it was missing from the German cabinet for way too long. Severin Freund is one of these athletes, which usually start “slow” but in the end he is always finish ahead of his rivals. It’s like a scheme, a well organized one, but instead it is simply his way to metabolize the season i think. Why wasting all your energies at the beginning, to end up with your battery totally off, in empty hands? This usually never happen to him, he might have a dull phase throughout the season but always come out it, in style, - Trondheim, and Oslo are a perfect example without forgetting Falun. This season might end even in a better way,with him probably winning the world cup title too.

Peter Prevc, was born in Kranj (SLO) on 20 September 1992. As we already mentioned in our previous issue of ATH, with a portrait dedicated to the slovenian ski jumper-, since his debut in 2009 in Lillehammer,Prevc have always proved himself, about why there are such high expectations about him. It's three years in a row now, he is constantly amongst the top ski jumpers of the circuit, always on the podiums (37 in total so far), with medals won,new world record set. He has hardly given up on his world cup dream, to win the title,even after losing his leadership on Stefan Kraft. His tenacity is admirable, as much as his hunger to win. Since Primoz Peterka era, the Slovenian ski jumping team hadn’t a real contender for the world cup. No that the others ski jumpers have no qualities to do well enough, but Prevc has something more. Maybe his hunger to win and do better than anyone else could be the key for his victories. If the 22 year old will manage to win the WC - which was last time won by Peterka in 96/97 and 97/98 seasons- it will be a great achievement for this young ski jumper, and it will be really deserved, not just to him but also to the entire Slovenian ski jumping team.

Stefan Kraft was born in Schwarzach im Pongau (AUT) on 13 May 1993. What can we add more which haven’t been said yet about the magnificent season that Stefan Kraft has had? Not much really. "Kraftti" has first made sure to be the 7th consecutive Austrian ski jumper to win the Four Hills Tournament this year. He is still in the running to win so secured himself his first world cup title at the age of 21. Stefan Kraft since his debut in Bischofshofen in 2012, has achieved already more than 20 podiums. On his world cup debut he ended at the 54th place, but from that moment forward his results in the world cup, has started to grow fast. The next year has arrived his first ever podium (3rd place). Seriously i barely can find more words to describe how, amazing this season could be for him, and for the austrian ski jumping team, if the 21 year old ski jumper will accomplish to win his first world cup title after the Four Hills Tournament. There is very little left to say on a season like the one he had,it was simply perfect.

These are the top three ski jumpers which gave us an enjoyable season. But besides these three, there have been others able to give us goosebumps followed by some crazy moments to remember or talk about.

Rune Velta for example, made his return home from Falun with FOUR medals, 2 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze. His first medal arrived with the MT, by winning the silver along with Anders Bardal, Line Jahr and Maren Lundby. Then he won the gold on the NH men competition, where he became world champion,after that he won the bronze on the LH, where the german Severin Freund has imposed himself. And last but not least, gold medalist on LH, in the team competition after 22 years of waiting. Quite an impressive end of a season, for someone who has yet to win his first world cup race. He did get to the podium on the first race of the Holmenkollen weekend, finishing 3rd,and let's not forget the impressive season some of his teammates has also had, Anders Fannemel with the new world record on the Vikersundbakken. Johan Andre Forfang, became the new junior world champion,in the single event and also won the gold with the team, along with his world cup teammate Phillip Sjøen.

Michael Hayböck, instead was another who impressed with first good results, he has also been the holder of the yellow bib for few races, but then he had to land the leadership to his room buddy, Stefan Kraft.Afterthe loss of ThomasMorgenstern, - the Austrian legend retired in September - Heinz Kuttin supposedly had in Gregor Schlierenzauer as the only leader of the team, but it the end it turned out to be Hayböck, at least for the first part of the season. Gregor on the other hand, despite such as not prolific season, has managed to win two silver medal in Falun. Best result of the season, for the man of every records.

But there is also who hasn’t had the best time of their career in ski jumping, and Simon Ammann knows something about. In fact the four times olympic champion, had one of the most difficult one of his career. The two crashes he had first in Oberstdorf than in Bischofshofen, didn’t helped him to win the so much coveted 4HT, either has helped him to end the season in Planica. As mentioned by Ammann itself, the instability with his jumps made him insecure, and as Thomas Morgenstern, teach, when you are not in the right frame of mind, is better to take a step back, and that’s what Simi did. It wasn’t a nice season in terms of falls. How can anyone of us forget about the scare we have all had after Nick Fairall crash? The american ski jumper has suffered some serious injuries and he is now on the way for a full recovery. This season was also the comeback season for someone who have been away from ski jumping for a while. Harri Olli. Despite we all knew for a while that the finnish ski jumper had the desire to make his comeback in the world cup, only this year we have finally saw, the former troubled athlete back in the WC arenas, and i can say it was good to see him back at the hills where he has always belong to. On another note: This weekend will also be the last weekend for Skijumpingitaly for the 2014/15 winter season, with our news, photos, interviews (not that much this year, sorry people). But once again it was a hell of a journey and we hope we have pleased you all enough. We will coming back for the summer season to “stress” you all out with our news,articles and some other stuff. So thank you all for your support.