Norwegian hoppraseri: - I am cursed

OBERSTDORF (Dagbladet): Johann André Blame (23) boiled over after 48.-place in the qualifying of the first race in the Hoppuka in the evening.

Blame the country at 115 metres and managed so far to qualify for Sunday's race in Oberstdorf in Germany. Tromsø-athlete believes he was treated unfairly compared with the German Karl Geiger, who jumped right after him in the qualification.

Afterwards marched a furious Blame out of the ground:

I was sure that I'm not qualified. When I did it, I was not particularly relieved I was rather freaking cursed.

Despairing of Norway: - What is it that happens?

Why were you cursed?

- Because all at the end jumped with minuspoeng and buoyancy. Even I got the 8,8 plus. It was a totally different competition. This doesn't belong in some places.

NRK expert Johan Strap Evensen says to Dagbladet that he understands the frustration of Blame:

- He has had a lot of bad luck. But he jumped within the vindkorridoren - and that is okay. What however annoys me is he who jumped afterwards, Karl Geiger. He had exactly the same circumstances. He was also within the wind corridor, but was still kept back in a couple of minutes. Then I become irritated.

Strap Evensen continues:

- It is the law to have bad luck as long as it is within the corridor. But when they choose to stay again the next athlete - which is also within the corridor - so I am annoyed. He had been outside the corridor, as I had though it. But he was not.

- it's all about the name and nation?

I will not speculate. But it would have been interesting to hear the justification for why Geiger was kept back and not Johann.

A dissatisfied Johann André Blame was a bit typical for the norwegians this Saturday in Schattenbergbakken. The only thing that really delivered, was Andreas the Star, who arrived at 4. space.

OUR BEST: Andreas Star (to the right) was the best in qualification. To the left: A frustrated Johann André Blame. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB scanpix Show more

the Austrian Stefan Kraft won the front Ryoyu Kobayashi from Japan and Piotr Zyla from Poland. Power delivered a jump of 138.5 meters in front of the 15 500 spectators.

Six of the norwegians qualified. Robert Johansson was number 13, Anders Fannemel 28, Daniel-André Tande 35 and debutant Robin Pedersen 38. Halvor Is Granerud must find themselves in to be a spectator in Sunday's race.

I jumped short, and have no good answer on why it was like that, he says to Dagbladet.

About the Norwegian efforts says Strap Evensen:

- okay, even though I might have expected more. Some of our best had not quite rod. But it is in the morning it really matters.

the Race on Sunday starts at 16.45 and is broadcast on NRK1.

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