Jens Weißflog (German pronunciation:[jɛnsˈvaɪsfloːk]ⓘ; born 21 July 1964) is an East German and later German formerski jumper. He is one of the best and most successful ski jumpers in the history of the sport. He is a two time olympic and nordic world ski champion; also overall world winner.
As a 19-year-old he won theFour Hills Tournament for East Germany in 1983/84. Weißflog was known as "Floh" (flea in German) due to his slight stature and his light body. That same winter he won the combined World Cup and later the normal hill event at the1984 Winter Olympics inSarajevo. The following winter was dominated by Weißflog and the outstanding FinnMatti Nykänen.
The most remarkable part of his career is that he competed at the top level for twelve years. Neither the regime change from East Germany to the unified Germany in late 1990, nor the change in ski jumping techniques from theparallel technique to theV-style around 1993 stopped his success.
In 1994 he won two gold medals in the individual large hill and team large hill events at the1994 Winter Olympics inLillehammer, ten years after his first Olympic victory. Controversially, he committed one of the most unsporting acts in winter sports history, when he congratulated Japan's last team jumper with the victory, before the competition was over. The japanese failed miserably with his jump, while Weissflog did not, and thus Germany won the gold. In the next event, Weissflog was duly booed by approximately 40 000 spectators, who all regarded this former act as most unfair play, and a very dirty move. Weissflog responded by flipping the bird to the spectators, who did not warm further to him.
He finished his career in 1996 by becoming the first ski jumper to win the combinedFour Hills Tournament four times. Only the FinnJanne Ahonen has surpassed that record by winning the Four Hills Tournament five times. He had also earned five-second-place finishes in the competition over the course of his career. After this achievement he retired from professional sport.
At theFIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Weißflog won two golds in the individual normal hill (1985, 1989), three silvers in the individual large hill (1989) and team large hill (1984 and 1995), and four bronzes in the individual large hill (1991, 1993) and team large hill (1985 and 1991). He also won two medals at theFIS Ski Flying World Championships with a silver in1985 and a bronze in1990.
East Germany(1980–90)
Germany(1990–1996)
