Source: Official Oberstdorf Worlds web site at http://www.oberstdorf2005.com/index.shtml?en_homepage
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Winter wonderland
Snow, snow and even more snow. It does not happen very often that such an amount of that white grandeur causes so few problems. “Here you really notice that we’ve got winterâ€, described FIS president Gian Franco Kasper the beautiful winter scenery of the Allgäu when he arrived in Oberstdorf. Hundreds of volunteers had worked day and night to prepare the ski jumping hills and cross-country tracks perfectly. “Once again Petrus has proved to be an Oberstdorferâ€, states the OC president and mayor of Oberstdorf, Thomas Müller.
Wave of flu
However, the winter wonderland in the Allgäu did not do the German DSV team any good as almost all of them caught a cold. Although, everyone of them was isolated after the first sneeze, the flu made his way from discipline to discipline. Apparently, the flu was introduced by the cross-country skiers. While the protégés of Jochen Behle slowly got over it, the ski jumpers struggled very much. But not only the famous patients such as Teichmann, Künzel, Späth, Schmitt and Kircheisen had to suffer, there were also ‘victims’ among the 1,500 volunteers.
Comeback
“It’s good to be backâ€, said Martin Schmitt, pleased with his WCS performance. With an impressing appearance he returned to the group of the world’s top ski jumpers. During a thrilling competition and together with his team mates Michael Neumayer, Michael Uhrmann and local hero Georg Späth, he achieved a silver medal in the team contest on the normal hill, beaten by Austria by only a few points. On German TV channels alone, more than 6.6 million viewers watched their team compete.
Slovenian sensation
The shooting star of this WCS is called Rok Benkovic. The Slovenian duped the favorites on the normal hill and became World Champion. Only one day later the 18-year-old lead his team to the bronze medal in the team ski jumping competition. On the large hill he ranked 5th in the individual contest and 4th in the team competition.
Well combined
Ronny Ackermann & Co are the top stars of this home WCS. Highly demanding and extremely exiting contests electrified the audience in the stadiums and in front of the TVs. Usually the Nordic Combined play a minor role than the specialists of the ski jumping or the cross-country skiing but in Oberstdorf Hermann Weinbuch’s team turned the tables. Two gold medals won by Ronny Ackermann, two silver medals won by Björn Kircheisen and the German NC team speak for themselves.
Keine Macht dem Doping – Fight doping!
Themed „Keine Macht dem Doping — Fight doping!“ the authorities of FIS and WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) had started the WCS. During the WCS the largest doping test program ever carried out by the FIS took place. In total 510 samples were taken. The excellent result: None of the tests was positive.
Conciliable finish
The German cross-country skiers started the WCS with high hopes. But mainly due to illnesses Teichmann, Künzel & Co did not meet those expectations. Those were difficult days, especially for Federal coach Jochen Behle. But a recovering Axel Teichmann and a strong Jens Filbrich achieved with spectacular appearances two silver medals for the German DSV.
Conclusion Kasper & Höller
FIS president Gian Franco Kasper was enthusiastic about the WCS 2005 in Oberstdorf and congratulated the organizers. He announced that it will be difficult for the future hosts to “meet this levelâ€. It will not be easy for Sapporo to top this WCS in 2007. “This has been a fantastic advertisement for the ski sportâ€, said a content Kasper.
