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Alborn eyes medal in K120 ski jump
By Jason Swensen, Deseret News Olympic specialist
UTAH OLYMPIC PARK — You could forgive Alan "Airborne" Alborn if his mind were to wander from the Games at hand and think of Torino.
The wiry Alaskan seems to be following a steady path of improvement in international ski jumping. Four years ago he was 44th in the K120 competition in the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano. Now he's enjoying something of a breakout year — collecting a couple of top-6 finishes in this year's World Cup circuit and becoming the first Yank to win three consecutive Continental Cup events in ski jumping's minor league.
Given his progression pace, you may think the 21-year-old should perhaps look to the 2006 Torino Games in Italy as the first Olympics where he could legitimately challenge for a medal.
Nonsense, suggests Alborn. After landing a solid jump Tuesday in the qualifying round of the K120 competition, Alborn is eyeing the 2002 podium here on home snow.
"I want to be a medalist," he said. "I have the physical attributes and the mental side of it. I just need to put it together."
Alborn jumped 119.5 meters to place fourth in qualification. Not bad, but remember, ski jumping's big flyers such as Poland's Adam Malysz and Sunday's surprise K90 gold medalist Simon Ammann did not have to qualify (although they did stage an impressive exhibition Tuesday following the official jumps).
Still, Alborn's excited about competing in an Olympic final Wednesday on a challenging 120-meter hill he knows better than any in the field. He spent much of the summer flying down the big hill at Utah Olympic Park, only to grab the lift to the top and fly down again. After Tuesday's jump, he's in position to make noise in a sport dominated by European and Far East rivals.
"My jumps just get better and better; I hope (Wednesday) to just nail it," Alborn said. "The crowd was really behind us, it was so great. It was a feeling I can't explain. This is what the Olympics is all about."
Alborn wasn't the only Team USA member to make it past Tuesday's qualifier. Clint Jones, 17, Steamboat Springs, Colo., moved on to the final with a jump of 111.5 meters. Americans Brendan Doran and Tommy Schwall fell short with 97- and 85-meter jumps, respectively.
While Sunday's final on the K90 hill offered some of the Games' most exciting moments, most jumpers say they prefer the larger K120. Why? No secret — the larger hill promises longer, fun jumps.
"I like the big hill better, I like to fly," Jones said after qualifying Tuesday. "I like more power."
While Alborn will likely be Wednesday's crowd favorite, look for Malysz and Germany's Sven Hannawald to visit the Olympic medal podium for the second time this week. Finland's Matti Hautamaeki or perhaps Andreas Widhoelzl of Austria may complete the medal trio.
Wednesday's K120 ski jump finals begin Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. at Utah Olympic Park.
E-MAIL: jswensen@desnews.com
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February 13, 2002
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