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Source: Reuters -
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If the form book is anything to go by, young Austrian sensation Gregor Schlierenzauer will soar away with the Olympic ski jumping medals this month.
Schlierenzauer, who began competing at the age of 15 and last year clinched the World Cup with a record number of points, turned 20 last month and has already racked up 31 wins on the global World Cup circuit.
The reed-thin youngster is armed with a broad smile and a quick sense of humour and seems pretty grounded for a man whose success depends on hanging aloft in the winter air.
Asked last month about glory, he replied succinctly: "Not so important." He also declared that his confidence ahead of the Games was very good.
The elements, however, play a large enough part in determining who wins to ensure that no one has a lock on gold.
The best ski jumpers are tall, thin and light, which helps them to fly better. They also need strong thighs to help push them off the ramp at the right moment.
This relatively delicate physique also makes them vulnerable to strong winds from the side or the rear.
Every little advantage counts and judges are on hand to make sure jumpers are wearing regulation suits, which are designed not to be too buoyant.
Austria dominate
Jumpers take part in three competitions - the normal, or 90-metre hill, the large (120-metre hill) and the team event. Each competitor jumps twice and is judged on length and style.
If by some chance Schlierenzauer misses the podium, there is a good chance he will be replaced by a fellow Austrian.
Even though the sport has traditionally been dominated by snow-filled nations such as Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Japan, the Austrians are top dogs at the moment.
In the 2006 Games, Austria won the team event and Thomas Morgenstern took the large hill gold. In the 2009 world championships the team won again, and Wolfgang Loitzl captured the normal hill gold.
Just to cement Austria's pre-eminence, Andreas Kofler won the prestigious Four Hills tournament, which takes place in December and January.
Another medal hope is Switzerland's Andreas Kuettel, who won the large hill at the world championships.
Switzerland's Simon Ammann, who came from nowhere to win both hills at the 2002 Games and then flopped four years later, is another threat. He leads the World Cup standings, ahead of Schlierenzauer, going into the Games.
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