Martin Schmitt

Martin Schmitt (German pronunciation: [ˈmaʁtɪn ˈʃmɪt]; born 29 January 1978) is a German former ski jumper who competed from 1997 to 2014. He is one of Germany's most successful ski jumpers, having won the World Cup twice; a gold medal at the Winter Olympics; four gold medals at the World Championships; and a ski flying world record. His and his countryman Sven Hannawald's success further popularized ski jumping in Germany, and with particular help from cable TV station RTL, their coverage received great acclaim in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Martin Schmitt
Schmitt in 2018
Country Germany
Born (1978-01-29) 29 January 1978
Villingen-Schwenningen,
West Germany
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Personal best224 m (735 ft)
Planica, 23 Mar 2002
World Cup career
Seasons19972014
Individual wins28
Team wins2
Indiv. podiums52
Team podiums15
Indiv. starts292
Team starts31
Overall titles2 (1999, 2000)
Ski Flying titles2 (1999, 2001)
JP titles1 (2000)
Updated on 10 February 2016.

Career

Beginning his competitive career at the Furtwangen area skiing club in Germany, Schmitt's first great success came when, as a schoolboy at the Furtwangen ski boarding school, he achieved a bronze medal in the 1997 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim. The following season, he won the team large hill silver at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

In 1998/99 Schmitt won the team World Cup for the first time and triumphed at the 1999 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Ramsau by winning the individual and team large hill events. He successfully defended his World Cup title in 1999–2000.

Schmitt enjoyed particular world success in ski jumping between 1999 and 2001. With 28 world cup successes (10 in the 1998/1999 season, 11 in 1999/00, 6 in 2000/01, and 1 in 2001/02), he finished sixth in the world rankings behind Gregor Schlierenzauer (53 victories), Matti Nykänen (46 victories), Adam Małysz (39 victories), Janne Ahonen (36 victories), Kamil Stoch (36 victories) and Jens Weißflog (33 victories). At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, he won eight medals (including four gold), and at the Winter Olympics he won two silver medals and one gold medal.

He had his best season in 2000/01 by finishing second behind Adam Małysz for the World Cup title. At the 2001 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, he won both the individual and team large hills. In addition he gained a silver medal in the individual normal hill and a bronze in the team normal hill. Consequently, he became the first ski jumper to win four medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

After the 2001 season, Schmitt began to suffer from injuries, and could no longer equal his earlier successes. Nonetheless, in the 2001/2002 season he won another team gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, as well as winning silver in the WC at Harrachov. His last world cup success was on 1 March 2002 in Lahti.

After many back injuries in the 2004/05 season, he did not take part in the World Cup for many weeks, in order that he could be better prepared for the 2005 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf. There he won a silver medal in the team normal hill. Schmitt returned to win a silver in the individual large hill event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec.

Despite the lack of wins for over a decade Schmitt continues to compete. For the 2012/13 season he had to compete in the second tier FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup. Until just days before the start of the prestigious Four Hills Tournament it looked as if he would not be nominated for the first time since the 1996/1997 edition. A surprise win at the Continental Cup competition at Engelberg (Switzerland) just two days before the first four hills competition at Oberstdorf earned him a last-minute inclusion in the 'national group', a group of additional German entries allowed for the first two jumps at Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. By performing strongly, even being the best-placed German after the first jump at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Schmitt got a surprise promotion back into the main squad, which allows him to participate in the two Austrian competitions in Innsbruck and Bischofshofen.

World Cup

Standings

Season Overall 4H SF NT JP
1996/97 553552
1997/98 2727371224
1998/99 45
1999/00 147
2000/01 N/A
2001/02 57N/A5N/A
2002/03 2320N/A11N/A
2003/04 2016N/A30N/A
2004/05 3733N/A15N/A
2005/06 3950N/A22N/A
2006/07 1714N/A14N/A
2007/08 198N/A24N/A
2008/09 64136N/A
2009/10 292130N/A
2010/11 302945N/AN/A
2011/12 6552N/AN/A
2012/13 3910N/AN/A
2013/14 7842N/AN/A

Wins

No. Season Date Location Hill Size
1 1998/9928 November 1998   LillehammerLysgårdsbakken K120 (night)LH
2 29 November 1998   LillehammerLysgårdsbakken K120 (night)LH
3 5 December 1998   ChamonixLe Mont K95NH
4 8 December 1998   PredazzoTrampolino dal Ben K120 (night)LH
5 30 December 1998   OberstdorfSchattenbergschanze K115LH
6 1 January 1999   Garmisch-PartenkirchenGroße Olympiaschanze K115LH
7 23 January 1999   SapporoŌkurayama K120LH
8 4 March 1999   KuopioPuijo K120 (night)LH
9 11 March 1999   FalunLugnet K115 (night)LH
10 19 March 1999   PlanicaVelikanka bratov Gorišek K185FH
11 1999/0027 November 1999   KuopioPuijo K120 (night)LH
12 18 December 1999   ZakopaneWielka Krokiew K116LH
13 19 December 1999   ZakopaneWielka Krokiew K116LH
14 30 December 1999   OberstdorfSchattenbergschanze K115LH
15 8 January 2000   EngelbergGross-Titlis-Schanze K120LH
16 9 January 2000   EngelbergGross-Titlis-Schanze K120LH
17 22 January 2000   SapporoŌkurayama K120LH
18 23 January 2000   SapporoŌkurayama K120LH
19 26 February 2000   Iron MountainPine Mountain Ski Jump K120LH
20 27 February 2000   Iron MountainPine Mountain Ski Jump K120LH
21 5 March 2000   LahtiSalpausselkä K116 (night)LH
22 2000/0124 November 2000   KuopioPuijo K120 (night)LH
23 3 December 2000   KuopioPuijo K120 (night)LH
24 29 December 2000   OberstdorfSchattenbergschanze K115LH
25 24 January 2001   HakubaOlympic Hills K120 (night)LH
26 3 March 2001   OberstdorfHeini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K185FH
27 18 March 2001   PlanicaVelikanka bratov Gorišek K185FH
28 2001/021 March 2002   LahtiSalpausselkä K116 (night)LH

Ski jumping world records

Date Hill Location Metres Feet
19 March 1999   Velikanka bratov Gorišek K185 Planica, Slovenia 219 719
19 March 1999   Velikanka bratov Gorišek K185 Planica, Slovenia 214.5 704

  Not recognized! Ground touch at world record distance.

References

Awards
Previous:
Georg Hackl
German Sportspersonality of the year
1999
Next:
Nils Schumann
Records
Preceded by
Lasse Ottesen
212 m (696 ft)
World's longest ski jump
214.5 m (704 ft)

19 March 1999 – 20 March 1999
Succeeded by
Tommy Ingebrigtsen
219.5 m (720 ft)
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