How to watch ski jumping at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022
The world's very best ski jumpers will vie for the podium at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Here is everything and everyone you need to look out for.
Ski Jumping
A maximum of 105 ski jumping athletes - 65 men and 40 women - will compete at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Watch out for athletes seemingly defying gravity as they glide through the air at the 164 metre-long National Ski Jumping Centre in Zhangjiakou - the first permanent ski jumping course in the world.
There will be five events in ski jumping at Beijing 2022 including the new mixed team event, which makes its Winter Olympic debut. The ski jumping competition begins on 5 February with the final medal - for the Men's Team competition - decided on 14 February.
Read on to find out the schedule of events and the best way to watch the action.
ALSO: Olympic ski jumping at Beijing 2022: Top five things to know
Ski jumping events at Beijing 2022
There are five ski jumping events at Beijing 2022 - three men's events, one women's and one mixed.
The men's competition will be made up of the Normal Hill Individual, Large Hill Individual and Men's Team events, with the women's competition consisting of the Normal Hill.
Finally, the mixed team event will make its Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, with four athletes - two women and two men - competing on the normal hill in a competition that is sure to be a highlight of the Winter Olympic calendar.
Ski jumping stars to watch at Beijing 2022
The Beijing 2022 men's ski jumping competition is shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated in recent memory, with young Olympic hopefuls vying for gold with sporting legends.
Watch out for Kobayashi Ryoyu, the 25-year-old Japanese ski jumper who made history in the 2018/19 when he won all six titles in the World Cup season, including the grand slam of all four Four Hills competitions. He looks to once again be in the form of his life, with Beijing 2022 just around the corner.
Battling for gold with Kobayashi will be Germany's PyeongChang 2018 silver medallist, Karl Geiger, who has four World Championships gold medals to his name. Also keep a close eye on one of the most exciting stars of the circuit, Norway's Halvor Egner Granerud, the 2020/21 overall Ski Jumping World Cup champion. And don't discount ski jumping legend, Stefan Kraft who at 28-years-old has won everything there is to win in the sport, including two Ski Jumping World Cup titles, three World Championships individual golds and two Ski Flying World Cup titles.
In the women's competition, the name on everyone's lips in recent years has been Takanashi Sara. The Japanese star is the holder of the record for most-ever individual World Cup wins - male or female - with 61. She will be hoping to improve upon the bronze medal she won at PyeongChang 2018.
However, if Takanashi is to succeed she will need to overcome some formidable competition in the form of Slovenia's Ursa Bogataj and last year's overall World Cup winner, Slovenia's Nika Križnar.
One thing's for sure, you won't want to take your eyes off the action for even a minute when the competition begins on 5 February 2022.
READ: Up, up and away: Kobayashi Ryoyu taking off big-time to Beijing 2022
Ski jumping schedule at Beijing 2022
Venue: Zhangjiakou Ski Jump Centre
(All times are in local time, UTC+8)
5 February
13:15 - 14:00 - Men's Normal Hill Individual Trial Round for Qualification
14:20 - 15:26 - Men's Normal Hill Individual Qualification Round
17:45 - 18:15 - Women's Normal Hill Individual Trial Round for Competition
18:45 - 19:20 - Women's Normal Hill Individual 1st Round
19:35 - 20:08 - Women's Normal Hill Individual Final Round
6 February
18:00 - 18:35 - Men's Normal Hill Individual Trial Round for Competition
19:00 - 19:45 - Men's Normal Hill Individual 1st Round
20:00 - 20:33 - Men's Normal Hill Individual Final Round
7 February
18:28 - 19:07 - Mixed Team Trial Round for Competition
19:45 - 20:36 - Mixed Team 1st Round
20:51 - 21:27 - Mixed Team Final Round
11 February
17:45 - 18:30 - Men's Large Hill Individual Trial Round for Qualification
19:00 - 20:06 - Men's Large Hill Individual Qualification Round
12 February
18:00 - 18:35 - Men's Large Hill Individual Trial Round for Competition
19:00 - 19:45 - Men's Large Hill Individual 1st Round
20:00 - 20:33 - Men's Large Hill Individual Final Round
14 February
18:10 - 18:49 - Men's Team Trial Round for Competition
19:00 - 19:51 - Men's Team 1st Round
20:06 - 20:42 - Men's Team Final Round
CHECK MORE: Beijing 2022 Ski Jumping Schedule
How to watch ski jumping at Beijing 2022
A high level of daredevilry that will be on display when athletes slide down the 60m tall ski jumping ramp at the National Ski Jumping Centre in Zhangjiakou, before launching themselves head-forward into the air as they attempt to glide farther than their competitors over a 164-metre slope.
"It feels like flying," was the simple yet revealing explanation of the sport given by Japan's five-time Olympian Harada Masahiko in an interview with Olympics.com. "Obviously in ski jumping you cannot fly forever, but we do try to push the limits and that's when the best results are produced," he added.
And there's no minimising the mental fortitude such feats of courage require, which is a quality Takanashi highlighted in a recent interview with Olympics.com.
"You need to be mentally prepared for the competition," she explained. "No matter how good the shape of your jump is, if you don't feel it, you won't be able to complete your best jump."
Watch out for jumpers giving the impression of gliding through the air with their skis pointed outwards to make a V shape, as they lie forwards to maximise the level of air lift in their jumps. The technique has evolved significantly over the years, from the first days of competition when athletes would use an upright style in their jumps.
Sweden's Jan Bokloev has been credited with developing the "V style" that is ubiquitous in the world of ski jumping today. "Initially ridiculed, this technique proved so successful that by 1992 all Olympic medalists were using this style," explains milanocortina2026.org.
Nowadays ski jumpers can reach incredible lengths with the men's world record set by Stefan Kraft who jumped 253.5 metres in 2017. The women's normal hill ski jumping competition at PyeongChang 2018 was won with jumps of 105.5 and 110m from Norway's Maren Lundby, while the men's large hill was won with jumps of 135m and 136.5m from Poland's Kamil Stoch.