Ski jumping is one of the most instantly
recognisable and dramatic Winter Olympic events.
After all, who could forget the sight
of athletes flinging themselves off the side of a mountain
and flying through the air?
But have you ever wondered about the physics of it?
Are they really flying?
And, with improvements in training and technology,
how far could they eventually go?
(BURNING QUESTIONS)
(CAN WOMEN OUT JUMP MEN IN SKI JUMPING?)
(WINTER GAMES EDITION)
To answer this question, we have to take a look
at the history of ski jumping.
Like most of the Nordic skiing disciplines,
ski jumping was first invented in Norway in the 19th century.
Why did they invent this sport?
I guess when you live in Norway in the 1800s,
flinging yourself off the side of a mountain seemed
like a good idea.
It made its Winter Olympic debut at the very first
Winter Games in 1924 and has remained an Olympic discipline
ever since.
It's certainly come a long way in that time.
The very first jump ever recorded was 9.5 metres.
Today, the world record stands over 250 metres.
That's the equivalent of 25 London buses,
or 2.7 football fields for our American viewers.
So, how were humans able to make
such a dramatic improvement
in just a little over 100 years?
For that, we have to look at the physics of it.
After the First World War, Tullin Thams and Sigmund Ruud
developed a new jumping style, known as
the Kongsbereger Technique.
This involved jumping with the upper body bent at the hips,
and with arms extended at the front,
with the skis parallel to each other.
Using this technique, Sepp Bradl of Austria
became the first person to jump more than 100 metres
when he jumped 101 metres in 1936.
In the mid-1950s, Swiss jumper Andreas Däscher
became the first jumper to hold arms backwards,
close to the body with a more extreme forward leaning.
Then, in 1985, Swedish jumper Jan Boklöv
started spreading the tips of his skis into a V-shape.
Initially ridiculed, this technique
proved so successful that by 1992 all Olympic medallists
were using this style.
So why is the V-shape so crucial
to jumping the big distances?
Well, it's all about air lift.
Scientific tests have shown that the V-style
improves air lift by 28%,
meaning the jumper can remain in the air
for longer periods of time.
But let's break it down even further.
Computer simulations show that during the early flight phase,
the lift is much higher when the skis are splayed in a V.
And during the later stages of the jump,
the V also produces a larger drag, helping the athlete
to slow down mid-air.
So have we reached the peak of ski jumping distances?
Or is there more to come?
Of course, athletes are always striving to go faster,
higher and stronger.
But further big improvements to the current world record
might be limited. That's because jumpers are not allowed
to extend the length of their jumps
by improvements in technology.
In the past, baggier suits have been
worn to gain extra flight.
And ski jumpers even dieted excessively
to make their suit as baggy as possible.
But it was felt that this gave an unfair advantage
to some athletes.
So the authorities stepped in.
Nowadays, suits must conform to the contours
of athletes' bodies in an upright position, between
one and three centimetres of their skin for men,
or between two and four centimetres for women.
So, a little bit tighter than I'd wear
on an average Saturday night.
I can't breathe.
But the next frontier of ski jumping might be female.
Women, with their lighter body weight,
are basically built for ski jumping.
Although they had to wait 90 years
to get their own event at the Winter Olympics,
they have already made significant leaps...
Get it? Significant... OK. Towards closing
the gender gap completely.
This is because, although the way men are built
gives them an advantage in many other sports,
their physiology becomes a disadvantage
when it comes to trying to fly the furthest.
When you're speeding down a ramp,
the most important thing is to stay balanced, stay low.
This gives women, with their naturally lower centres
of gravity, an advantage.
Additionally, female jumpers have a natural advantage
once they hit the air.
Their lighter body weight helps them maximise lift
and therefore time in the air.
So will we see women sailing past men in the near future?
With more and more women participating
in the sport at the highest levels,
I wouldn't bet against it. So, there you have it.
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