After a nice jump of 95 meters and 124.3 points, Kasper Moen Flatla celebrated in the goal area.
But the joy was short-lived for the Norwegian combined skier, as he was disqualified in the check after the jump.
– What actually happens is they’re at the points that he measures, and then he thinks it’s not right and finds something else. Then I need two centimeters for the long arms. Probably not a one time rule. No, that’s shit, a clearly frustrated Flatla tells TV 2.
– There are not the same rules for everyone. If you have a good jump, you’re Norwegian and you’re not among the best, you’ll have a hard time in the booth there, she explains.
Crushed after the puck: – The whole system sucks
Thus ended today’s combined for the 23-year-old who will take part in this weekend’s World Cup in Lillehammer with a national quota.
– This is our chance to show off. If you fail then, it’s a short way off the team. That could mean anything, says a mournful Flatla.
– We have a place outside the national team at the World Cup before Christmas. The one place you’re most eager to grab, of course. When you then get robbed of the chance, it’s bloody bitter. Now I want to throw the skis on the shelf and give a damn, continue.
Flatla obviously strongly disagreed with the disqualification.
– It happens often and… no, I don’t know. I’m sick of the whole system, Flatla points out.
This is what the controller says
Equipment controller in the World Cup Combined, Guntram Kraus, justifies the disqualification as follows:
– We have data on all athletes and it is my job to make sure that everything is as it should be. In this case, not everything went well. We checked the suit and parts of it were not correct according to our rules, Kraus tells TV 2 and explains:
– If your arm length is 50 centimeters, the suit must be four centimeters shorter. It should therefore be 46 centimeters, no more. It can be shorter, but not longer.
– But let’s be honest with everyone. He is as he is, and I hope he is back tomorrow and in a better position, and has made some changes to the kit according to our rules, emphasizes Kraus.
The combined national team’s show jumping coach, Tom Hilde, tells TV 2 that he has made several requests to simplify the rules.
– I, who work there, can’t control everything. We jump with an elastic material that changes, and it’s human bodies that change. So we asked to simplify it a little bit, but a lot of that regulation is so important that it has to be there and they have to be strict about it, Hilde says.
– I’m very sorry about Kasper
Hilde understands Flatla’s frustration.
– Always burns when people are removed from the results list. So I feel we are one of the best nations at this, but I also think we get taken off the hit list more often than we deserve, Hilde says and adds:
– It’s such a shame for Kasper that he takes a huge leap. It’s not the jump suit that makes him jump so well, and then he stings even more.
Had Flatla not been knocked down, he would have been in 15th place after show jumping.
Jens Lurås Oftebro leads, while Jarl Magnus Riiber is 4th before the cross-country section. You can watch it on TV 2 Sport 2 and Play from 2pm.
