Ski jumping legend Martin Schmitt: "I do not need this kick anymore"

When Martin Schmitt was three years old, he jumped for the first time from a ski jump. Three years later, in 1984, he accompanied his big brother to a competition 50 kilometers away from his hometown Villingen-Schwenningen. Because one of the participants failed, the little brother went to the start - and finished second.

Fifteen years later, Martin Schmitt became the best ski jumper in the world. In the Overall World Cup 1998/99 flew the thin young man of the competition, of 29 individual competitions, he won ten, which was enough for 1753 points and the overall victory. In between, on February 21, 1999, he was also world champion on the large hill. On 19 March of the same year Schmitt flew 214.5 meters, that was the ski flying world record.

And because he also dominated the overall World Cup the following season and defended his title before Andreas Widhölzl, Janne Ahonen and his buddy Sven Hannawald, named the city fathers of Furtwangen in the Black Forest a road to him. He was just 22 years old and almost as famous in Germany as Michael Schumacher.

one day: Mr. Schmitt, how do you prepare for such a jump from the hill?

Schmitt: Actually, right after getting up on race day. Often in the morning we all played volleyball or football together in the hall to distract ourselves and get the body going. Then a conversation with the coach, video analysis, imitation jumps. Everything in a certain frame, you can not conjure up on the day of the competition. When time allowed, I usually took a little nap before going to the hill.

one day: And dreamed of flying?

Schmitt: Ideally, you think of something else. Ski jumping is a special sport: you have to be patient for a very long time, and in a few seconds everything is over. The trick is to find the right mix of indulgence and relaxation, rather than wasting your supplies too soon.

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one day: Are ski jumpers afraid of the jump?

Schmitt: No, only in exceptional situations. The head cinema is much more difficult than the jump itself. Above all, jumping is a tightrope walk of emotions.

one day: Did you have certain rituals at the hill?

Schmitt: I usually arrived late to avoid having to kill too much time. 20 minutes before the first jump were ideal. On site then material and ski jump, weather analysis, last imitation jumps - and then run something, preferably in the forest.

one day: Why in the woods?

Schmitt: I had my peace. You can consciously perceive something else, for example the smell of the trees. Then you come back again, in the background the bubbling of the audience, this special atmosphere. All this I tried to absorb and transform into positive energy. In order to get started with a good feeling: Now you are finally allowed to perform, that's what you've trained for, now it's time to start!

In the year 2000, the German sports audience longed for new heroes like in a long time. Boris Becker had ended his career in the summer of 1999, six weeks later Steffi Graf. The German footballers were flown out in 1998 at the World Cup in the quarterfinals, sent in 1999 one of the most unknown teams in the history of the Confederation Cup and should be embarrassed at the European Championships 2000.

Schmitt's success came just right. RTL secured the broadcast rights, sent Günther Jauch from the big football stadiums to Oberstdorf and Planica, let the hit bards of "Pur" sing a ski jumping anthem ("Eagles have to fly") and filmed the Schmitts in lavish homestories playing darts or excreting screaming teenagers. Schmitts manager announced in the intoxication of celebrities, from his protégé to want to make the "James Dean 2000".

At the height of this hype about "Formula One of Winter" (RTL), an agency came forward to actually arrange a meeting between the ski jumper and Monica Lewinsky, who became famous for her affair with then-US President Bill Clinton. Schmitt refused: "Because that is at most known negative." At that time he commented dryly on the madness around his person: "I see it all as a side effect."

one day: What do you do when you arrive at the top of the hill?

Schmitt: You sit down briefly in the warm-up room. Eight to ten jumps before, I slowly dressed, checked again the material. When the fourth jumper pushed off the block in front of me, the suit was completely closed, the rubber band tied around the shoes, the shoes tightened. Finally I climbed into the skis, in my mind I went through everything again.

one day: What did you think when you sat on the starting bar and in a few seconds should plunge into the depths?

Schmitt: In the ideal case, the head is free of disturbing thoughts. I have tried to regulate my breathing, to get the ideal pulse, complete concentration. And then go. The most important thing in ski jumping is the jump: 300 milliseconds at eight meters, which decide on victory and defeat.

one-day: When did you feel whether the jump was good or bad?

Schmitt: Actually right away. You get the feedback from the ski very fast and feel how much energy is available, how the air forces work. A successful jump feels very different from a weaker one. With every jump I had this moment without a picture, so to speak a short blackout: In my memory I see the jump from the take-off in front of me and next, as I look into the slope. The few moments in between were pure feeling.

One day: So we are in the air after jumping into a slope at about 100 miles per hour. What now?

Schmitt: The trick is to split his body into two. From the belly button down everything is tense, from the hip up everything should be nice and easy, because with the upper body controls his flight, the arms control the air forces. You move in a border area: The ski has to carry one just so, but at the same time do not resist too much.

one day: How does flies feel?

Schmitt: It feels very dynamic, the air forces are already enormous. Using, flying and gliding this energy is indescribable. Another flight always causes an insane happiness. There was always a lot of energy released, the tension broke up. And with these emotions, I approached the cheering spectators. These were very special experiences. No matter how much I clenched my fists: after a good jump under my helmet, the mood was even better than I could carry that out. That's the motivation of ski jumping. It is a sport where you get a lot back. Such a feeling you want to experience again and again.

His last major gold medal won Martin Schmitt in 2002 at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in the team jumping. The miracle boy of the turn of the millennium could no longer build on the great successes of his early years. But because the public always measured him, every tenth or fourth place was considered a failure.

A situation that physically and psychologically burdened Schmitt: in 2010, he was diagnosed with a fatigue syndrome. At 1.81 meters in size Schmitt weighed only 63 pounds, took to competition times only 1800 calories per day. He confessed, "Losing weight makes you sick."

Only the collaboration with a new coach, the Tyrol psychologist Werner Schuster ("Martin began to build a wall around himself, now he tears it back slowly") brought improvement. On January 31, 2014 Martin Schmitt finally announced his resignation. He graduated with a top honors degree from the sports academy in Cologne and currently works as an expert for Eurosport and owns a marketing agency.

one day: How do you deal with the fact that you will never again experience such special emotions as jumping?

Schmitt: I know that my time as an active ski jumper is over and that's okay. Since I finished my career, I have never jumped off a hill again. And that will probably stay that way.

one day: No replacement drug for the adrenaline kick? Bungee jumping? Skydiving?

Schmitt: No, I do not need this kick anymore. For a short time I had toyed with buying a wingsuit. But you know something? That's too dangerous for me.