This was published 12 years ago
Sochi Winter Sports: Ski Jumping
Fast facts:
Ski jumping is one of the Winter Olympics' greatest spectacles and while the discipline has featured at every Games, Sochi 2014 will be the first time that women can compete.
Fast facts:
One hundred athletes (70 men, 30 women) will compete for four gold medals, though Australia is not (and has never been) represented at the Winters.
Fast facts:
Events are held over the 'Normal Hill" and the bigger 'Large Hill' in which competitors soar more than 100 metres.
Fast facts:
Skis are held in a ‘V-position’ during flight, which is proven to be the most aerodynamic position.
Fast facts:
There have been numerous crashes at the Winter Games and while the nature of the sport means that injuries are often severe, there has never been a ski jumping death at the Olympics.
Olympic legend:
Michael 'Eddie the Eagle' Edwards is perhaps the sport's most famous competitor. He became Britain's first Olympic representative in ski jumping at the 1988 Games and despite finishing last in both the 70m and 90m events, he became famous as a 'heroic failure'.
Trivia:
Ski sizes are dtermined by an athletes height and weight. Ski lengths are a maximum 146% of a person's total body height.
