1/7
Halvor Egner Granerud is currently the leader in the Four Hills Tournament.
At the opening event in Oberstdorf he flew away: Halvor Egner Granerud turned up the heat just in time for the Four Hills Tournament. The 26-year-old Norwegian is also one of the big favorites in the New Year’s competition on Sunday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
But the man from Oslo doesn’t just cause a stir when he’s successful. He’s always been remarkable. He was in international focus for the first time at the age of 16 – due to a little YouTube film. In the sequences, which a colleague filmed with a helmet camera, Granerud can be seen jumping stark naked from Midstubakken on Holmenkollen. He then sold the video, which unsurprisingly went through the roof. A few years later, he said he might have asked for more money for the rights had he known the attention his youthful escapade was generating.
Granerud later enjoyed his own YouTube project “Onsdag kveld med GT” (“Wednesday evening with GT”), in which he and teammate Daniel Andre Tande regularly took stock.
Granerud always drifts to the right
His special flying style attracts as much attention as his former naked jump. He helped him win in Oberstdorf – but he can also become a problem from time to time. Granerud just can’t jump straight. He’s a cross-flyer, literally a crooked bird. When he takes off, he sometimes has a blatant right drive. Experts locate the cause of the list in an asymmetrical arm and leg position, which is not so easy to train away. In addition, Granerud is considered a cerebral athlete who tends to think too much about his performances rather than too little. He is aware that a difficult change could possibly endanger his distances. And with it the success.
Granerud will probably drift to the right again today in Garmisch. Depending on the circumstances, this can cost him the tour guide, but it can also give him a decisive advantage. (mpe)