Jakub Janda
Encyclopedia
Jakub Janda (ˈjakup ˈjanda) (born April 27, 1978 in Čeladná
) is a Czech
ski jumper, winner of 2005-6 Four Hills Tournament
and winner of the Ski jumping World Cup
2005–6.
He entered Ski jumping World Cup
in 1996, but his first major success was third place in Liberec
(2003). Janda improved his performance under new Slovenian coach Vasja Bajc in 2004. In 2004/5 season he managed to collect several second and third places and one victory in World Cup events. He also gained a silver and a bronze medal at the 2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
in Oberstdorf
.
, Lillehammer
, Harrachov
and Engelberg
, and entered the Four Hills Tournament
leading the World Cup standings. In the opening event in Oberstdorf, Janda finished in third place to place high for the second round, with Janne Ahonen
in first and Roar Ljøkelsøy
in second. After winning the second race of the Tournament in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, Janda moved to second place in the standings behind the reigning Tournament champion Ahonen. Norway's Lars Bystøl
was the unexpected winner in Innsbruck
while Janda finished ahead of Ahonen for the second straight time to move into a two-point lead before the last competition. Like in all previous rounds Janda advanced in last place into the competition to having skis that were too long during Oberstdorf qualifying and could not participate in the next three qualifying rounds as a result. The tournament climaxed with a Janda vs. Ahonen knockout duel. Janda won the first round by one point (tied to Ahonen on meters), then increased his lead to three points before the last jump. Ahonen beat Janda in the last jump by 141.5 meters to 139 meters and won the Bischofshofen
competition by two points. The overall standings thus had both jumpers tied for first place, the first ever joint victors in the history of the tournament. Norway's Ljøkelsøy finished third.
Jakub Janda was the first Czech winner of the Tournament since Jiří Raška
won it in 1971.
Janda then experienced a drop of form, leading to poor results at the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, finishing 13th in the individual normal hill, 10th in the individual large hill and 9th in the team large hill.
After the Olympics he managed to return back to the podium in the World Cup event (2nd place in Lahti), but his form was less solid in comparison to the beginning of the season. His biggest rival Janne Ahonen tried to take advantage of it, but also struggled and after disappointing Lahti results on the eve of the end of the season, he decided to withdraw from one race of the World Cup to concentrate on the last events in Norway
and on mammoth hill in Planica
.
Janda's lead grew to 175 points with 200 points to gain in the last round in Planica. Janda announced he did not want to participate in the ski flying event (he finished only seventh in the Ski Flying World Championships just after the Four Hills Tournament), but had to compete in Planica to secure his overall title. Qualifying last to the final round of the first of two Planica races and finishing 29th after the second jump, he was helped by Ahonen, who did not reach a better result than 11th place.
Janda did not enter the last race and finished the World Cup standings with 1151 points, 127 ahead of Ahonen (which means he really did not need participate in Planica). He was the first Czech that won the ski jumping World Cup ever, and more - no Czech skier had ever won the Olympic discipline World Cup standings before.
Coach Vasja Bajc, who is widely considered the driving force behind Janda's rise to fame, ended his relationship with the Czech team after the season and was replaced by an Austrian, Richard Schallert.
in 2010
while his best individual finish was 13th in the individual normal hill event at Turin
four years earlier.
Celadná
Čeladná is a village in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies under the Moravian-Silesian Beskids Range. There are many holiday houses in the large area of the village. In recent years it has become a popular holiday resorts with new hotels, a horse ranch, golf course and new...
) is a Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
ski jumper, winner of 2005-6 Four Hills Tournament
Four Hills Tournament
The Four Hills Tournament is composed of four Ski Jumping World Cup events and has taken place in Germany and Austria each year since 1952.The Four Hills Tournament champion is the one who gets the most points over the four events...
and winner of the Ski jumping World Cup
Ski jumping World Cup
The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup is a ski jumping tournament held yearly by the International Ski Federation since 1979–80 season.- World Cup points :...
2005–6.
He entered Ski jumping World Cup
Ski jumping World Cup
The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup is a ski jumping tournament held yearly by the International Ski Federation since 1979–80 season.- World Cup points :...
in 1996, but his first major success was third place in Liberec
Liberec
Liberec is a city in the Czech Republic. Located on the Lusatian Neisse and surrounded by the Jizera Mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge, it is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic....
(2003). Janda improved his performance under new Slovenian coach Vasja Bajc in 2004. In 2004/5 season he managed to collect several second and third places and one victory in World Cup events. He also gained a silver and a bronze medal at the 2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2005 took place February 16-27, 2005 in Oberstdorf, Germany for the second time after hosting it previously in 1987. The ski jumping team normal hill returned after not being held in 2003...
in Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in southwest Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps.At the center of Oberstdorf is a church whose tall spire serves as a landmark for navigating around town. The summits of the Nebelhorn and Fellhorn provide...
.
2005-2006 season
Janda started 2005-6 season with World Cup wins in KuusamoKuusamo
Kuusamo is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in the Oulu province and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, Harrachov
Harrachov
Harrachov is a town on the Mumlava river in the northern Czech Republic, 300 m from the border with Poland. It is within the Krkonoše mountain range, about above sea level.-History:...
and Engelberg
Engelberg
Engelberg is a village in the canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Engelberg has a population of . , 21.0% of the population was made up of foreign nationals.It is the leading mountain resort in central Switzerland...
, and entered the Four Hills Tournament
Four Hills Tournament
The Four Hills Tournament is composed of four Ski Jumping World Cup events and has taken place in Germany and Austria each year since 1952.The Four Hills Tournament champion is the one who gets the most points over the four events...
leading the World Cup standings. In the opening event in Oberstdorf, Janda finished in third place to place high for the second round, with Janne Ahonen
Janne Ahonen
Janne Petteri Ahonen is a former Finnish ski jumper who has competed in the world cup between 1992-2011. A legendary ski jumper, he is widely considered one of the best and most successful athletes in the history of the sport...
in first and Roar Ljøkelsøy
Roar Ljøkelsøy
Roar Ljøkelsøy is a Norwegian ski jumper. Ljøkelsøy's early career was not particularly brilliant. While considered almost flawless technically, he did not win an individual World Cup event until 25 January 2003, at age 26...
in second. After winning the second race of the Tournament in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, Janda moved to second place in the standings behind the reigning Tournament champion Ahonen. Norway's Lars Bystøl
Lars Bystøl
Lars Bystøl is a Norwegian ski jumper who has won one Olympic gold medal, one World Cup event, two FIS Nordic World Ski Championships bronze medals in the team large hill events , and a gold medal in the FIS Ski Flying World Championships...
was the unexpected winner in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
while Janda finished ahead of Ahonen for the second straight time to move into a two-point lead before the last competition. Like in all previous rounds Janda advanced in last place into the competition to having skis that were too long during Oberstdorf qualifying and could not participate in the next three qualifying rounds as a result. The tournament climaxed with a Janda vs. Ahonen knockout duel. Janda won the first round by one point (tied to Ahonen on meters), then increased his lead to three points before the last jump. Ahonen beat Janda in the last jump by 141.5 meters to 139 meters and won the Bischofshofen
Bischofshofen
Bischofshofen is a city located in the Salzach valley in the Alps, in the District of Pongau, in Salzburgerland, Austria.The city is an important railway hub and lies at the Tauernautobahn, a highway route through the Alps....
competition by two points. The overall standings thus had both jumpers tied for first place, the first ever joint victors in the history of the tournament. Norway's Ljøkelsøy finished third.
Jakub Janda was the first Czech winner of the Tournament since Jiří Raška
Jirí Raška
Jiří Raška is the most famous Czech ski jumper, Olympic winner and Czech skier of the century.- Early life :His father died of leukaemia when Jiří Raška was nine years old, leaving his mother to raise four children on her own. His interest in winter sports was not surprising. His cousin and...
won it in 1971.
Janda then experienced a drop of form, leading to poor results at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, finishing 13th in the individual normal hill, 10th in the individual large hill and 9th in the team large hill.
After the Olympics he managed to return back to the podium in the World Cup event (2nd place in Lahti), but his form was less solid in comparison to the beginning of the season. His biggest rival Janne Ahonen tried to take advantage of it, but also struggled and after disappointing Lahti results on the eve of the end of the season, he decided to withdraw from one race of the World Cup to concentrate on the last events in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and on mammoth hill in Planica
Planica
Planica is an alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hiking destination in Triglav National Park.Planica is famous for...
.
Janda's lead grew to 175 points with 200 points to gain in the last round in Planica. Janda announced he did not want to participate in the ski flying event (he finished only seventh in the Ski Flying World Championships just after the Four Hills Tournament), but had to compete in Planica to secure his overall title. Qualifying last to the final round of the first of two Planica races and finishing 29th after the second jump, he was helped by Ahonen, who did not reach a better result than 11th place.
Janda did not enter the last race and finished the World Cup standings with 1151 points, 127 ahead of Ahonen (which means he really did not need participate in Planica). He was the first Czech that won the ski jumping World Cup ever, and more - no Czech skier had ever won the Olympic discipline World Cup standings before.
Coach Vasja Bajc, who is widely considered the driving force behind Janda's rise to fame, ended his relationship with the Czech team after the season and was replaced by an Austrian, Richard Schallert.
Other successes
Janda has competed in three Winter Olympics, earning his best finish of seventh in the team large hill event at VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in 2010
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
while his best individual finish was 13th in the individual normal hill event at Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
four years earlier.