WHISTLER OLYMPIC PARK, Canada—U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was in attendance for what might be the least acknowledged sport in the U.S. Olympic program.
But his presence there likely came as little comfort to the U.S. ski jumping team, none of whom made it to the second round of competition on Saturday.
Their brief few seconds of Olympic competition ended with the entire team landing in the bottom ten.
“The last two days haven’t been my best two jumps but it’s alright, it happens. Still having fun, so that’s key,” said Anders Johnson as he exited the field after his jump.
Despite his poor finish, Johnson said the fleeting experience of being a part of the Olympics is “awesome.”
“It’s a great experience. So far these Olympics have run really well, really smooth, and we’re all having a good time.”
In the U.S., ski jumping is a relatively obscure sport and receives minimal funding from the U.S. government.
The poor showing of the U.S. and Canada, who both did not qualify for Olympic competition after the trial jumps, had much to do with the lack of funding for the sport, he said.
“The people who have more money to experiment with equipment, and testing and training camps, and put into sports development and stuff like that are the ones where you are going to see results,” said Johnson.
“When you work on such small budgets, it’s really hard to break through. And it’s a sport where one or two meters makes a huge difference.”
Johnson finished 49th out of 50 competitors.
But his presence there likely came as little comfort to the U.S. ski jumping team, none of whom made it to the second round of competition on Saturday.
Their brief few seconds of Olympic competition ended with the entire team landing in the bottom ten.
“The last two days haven’t been my best two jumps but it’s alright, it happens. Still having fun, so that’s key,” said Anders Johnson as he exited the field after his jump.
Despite his poor finish, Johnson said the fleeting experience of being a part of the Olympics is “awesome.”
“It’s a great experience. So far these Olympics have run really well, really smooth, and we’re all having a good time.”
In the U.S., ski jumping is a relatively obscure sport and receives minimal funding from the U.S. government.
The poor showing of the U.S. and Canada, who both did not qualify for Olympic competition after the trial jumps, had much to do with the lack of funding for the sport, he said.
“The people who have more money to experiment with equipment, and testing and training camps, and put into sports development and stuff like that are the ones where you are going to see results,” said Johnson.
“When you work on such small budgets, it’s really hard to break through. And it’s a sport where one or two meters makes a huge difference.”
Johnson finished 49th out of 50 competitors.
