Annika Belshaw’s Olympic journey ended prematurely due to a disqualification over equipment regulations.
The 23-year-old ski jumper from Team USA had successfully qualified for the women’s large hill ski jumping final, achieving a first-round score of 98.5 on February 15. This was her debut at the Olympic Games, where she also took part in the women’s normal hill individual event and the mixed team competition.
However, her Olympic experience faced an abrupt setback after her qualification. A standard post-jump inspection revealed that her skis were longer than allowed by international standards. The difference was merely one centimeter, but it was sufficient to result in automatic disqualification, thus preventing her from participating in the final round.
Ski jumping regulations at the Olympics are known for their rigorous nature, covering everything from the materials of the suits to the placement of zippers.
The length of skis is another tightly monitored aspect: an athlete’s skis must not exceed 145% of their height, determined using a minimum body mass index (BMI) of 21 for both men and women. This calculation implies that even slight weight fluctuations during the competition can alter the allowable ski length, posing a risk of breaking the rules.
Belshaw made it to the final after a first-round jump score of 98.5, then brought her total score to 190.9 with her subsequent jump. Yet shortly after achieving this, Belshaw faced disqualification.
The score sheet officially recorded Belshaw’s disqualification as being due to “too long ski (by +1cm).”
The top three competitors in the event included Anna Odine Stroem of Norway, who claimed the gold medal with a score of 284.8, followed by Norway’s Eirin Maria Kvandal with silver at 282.7, and Slovenia’s Nika Prevc, who took bronze with 271.5.
Before the event, Belshaw shared an uplifting message on Instagram. “Tonight we go for the big one,” she expressed. “Super special to be able to compete in the first Olympic big hill event for the women. Feeling so much gratitude and jumping for this little girl tonight.”
The incident with Belshaw occurred a day after Daniel Tschofenig from Team Austria faced a similar disappointment during the men’s large hill individual event, being disqualified for a boot size violation on February 14.
Officials discovered that his boots exceeded the maximum size by 4 millimeters, as reported by Eurosport commentators.
“I used new shoes in training, which, by the way, I wasn’t very happy with, but I kept them,” he revealed to AFP. “Unfortunately, I was naïve and didn’t check the sizes. That was incredibly stupid of me.”