There were already many exotic species at the Four Hills Tournament – but this one convinces with performance!
In the opening competition, Fatih Arda Ipcioglu (24) was the first Turkish ever to make it into the finals and was ultimately 29th! And gets World Cup points for it. Historical!
“I celebrated it as if I had won,” he reveals to BILD. And proudly says: “I made history. It can carry on like this. I still have a lot to do. ”
Hannawald impressed
Even ski jumping legend Sven Hannawald (47) says: “The more nations there are, the better. If he continues to train so well for two years, then he can regularly collect points in the World Cup. “
“That makes me incredibly proud to hear something like that from him. It’s so good when the successful athletes acknowledge that, “says Arda, who comes from Ezurum.” Everyone hears Turkey and thinks of sun, beach and summer vacation. But we have snow, mountains. My hometown is at over 1500 meters. ” In winter it can get cold to -35 degrees.
The city in Eastern Anatolia has even applied for the Olympic Games in 2026, but the Olympic Committee has chosen Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy).
What’s behind his success? Among other things, his new coach, Frank Nejec (34). The Slovene coaches the Turkish team (six athletes) worked out a strange plan in the summer: “We’re doing it in small steps. We train on average for 40-50 days in Slovenia, then the boys go back home. They can only do athletic training there, ”says Nejec, who was assistant coach for the Slovenian national team for nine years. Because: Ezurum does have a hill, but it is not prepared. The exotic has 460 jumps all year round – the stars from Germany, Austria and Poland complete this in summer alone.
But how do you become a ski jumper as a Turk?
“I jumped for the first time 13 years ago. I was a good skier as a kid, then I discovered my passion for ski jumping. ”His parents protested. “My mother said: don’t go there, you can’t do that, it’s far too dangerous. ‘”
Seven years ago he broke both of his legs while training: “It’s like this: If you get up and carry on, anything is possible. If you stay in bed, it’s over. I got up, ”says the ski jumper, who is supported by the Turkish government.
Sponsors are not (yet) in line, while top nations have four jump suits for the Four Hills Tournament alone, so he has to get through the whole season with them.
“We work closely with the American team. At the moment we are producing the suits ourselves, ”says his trainer. How good can Arda get? “Everything is possible. We still have a lot of work to do, but physically he has all the prerequisites. “
The Turkish eagle studies sport at home and is currently writing his master’s thesis. “For the time after that. Then I’ll become a teacher, ”says Arda. Because: He can’t make a living from ski jumping. His 29th place in Oberstdorf brought him 200 euros into the box. “I don’t jump for the money, but of course it motivates you even more when you earn something with it.”
Now it is important to stick with the tour: “The goal now is always to reach the final of the top 30. If my mother has my way, then even more. She even dreams of the podium after Oberstdorf. “
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