Olympia 2018: Ski jumping: Kuttin criticizes Schlierenzauer and Fettner

Almost 100 points behind to third place in the team competition of the Olympic Games. For the first time in 16 years no medal at the Olympic Games and no other major event on the podium. Head coach Heinz Kuttin was audibly pissed off after the weak performance on Monday in Alpensia. The Carinthian openly criticized the weak performances of two of his athletes.

Kuttin let it be known that the team is in the thick air. Shameful. Very simple. Michi Hayböck, Stefan Kraft, I really have to highlight them. I feel sorry for the two boys, Manuel Fettner and Gregor Schlierenzauer…, I don’t understand that,”said Kuttin. These two would have been trusted during the tour, had all sorts of preparatory programs and courses:”Then they sometimes jump very well in training here, are not satisfied with places like six, seven, eight, ten, then the competition comes and then – sorry – they hop, that’s not even mediocrity, I don’t understand that,”Kuttin echauffierte himself. That is also the reason for the large backlog.

Before the last competition of the games in South Korea we knew that we could only surprise positively, but everyone had to jump about 130 m.”But unfortunately, we were far away with the two people. I’m more than disappointed.”

Do you think he has a plan for the rest of the season?”Sure. I’ve got the plan in my head, but I’m just going to sleep on it now. There will be measures in place and they will certainly be implemented with me,”explained the ÖSV official who, however, does not want to announce this until Austria.

When asked about the fact that the athletes talk about good team spirit, Kuttin says:”There’s a lot of fun going on. When I see the pictures on TV again, then many things are not right. There is no disruptive factor in the team, he assures, but:” If everything is not good, then there are discussions. Everyone sees it a little differently, and everyone is smarter.”

The sports director for combination and ski jumping, Ernst Vettori, seemed at a loss:”We have been trying to do something since the tour. Things are running out of steam. We’re not where we should and want to go. We’re not happy at all, but we have to take note of that right now and rebuild the boys for the rest of the season.”

As he reacts to boulevardesque cries after a change of coach:”Yes, things are certainly being considered, but once again, we have to finish the season:” He himself knows the situation from active time:”I have been there twice in 1984 and 1988, when we haven’t done anything,” all the major events without a medal this year hurt.”We really don’t do it too hard. We have a fucked-up season, we try to get up every time.”

Gregor Schlierenzauer also spoke in his analysis of changes that are necessary. Asked, he said:”These are dangerous questions because I am very emotional and I have already burned my fingers once before. We all have to take our noses and analyse the whole thing meticulously,”said the 53-times World Cup winner. You have to come up with a plan, you need clarity and a vision of what it must look like.” I don’t know if there’s a vision on the coaching staff right now.”I won’t answer that now.”