2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Men’s Normal Hill Ski Jumping Odds

Men's Normal Hill Odds

The first competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics will be the Men’s Normal Hill Ski Jumping event, which begins Friday morning.

Bet The 2010 Winter Olympics

According to vancouver2010.com, in ski jumping, an athlete skis down a long ramp, referred to as the in-run, and launches into the air at speeds of up to 95 kilometers per hour. Once in the air, jumpers assume the V-style and adjust their position to maximize lift and minimize drag. Competitors are evaluated on distance and style and while there is a very close relationship between the two, the skier with the longest jump will often have the highest style points. The normal and large hill individual events begin with a qualification jump on the day prior to competition. The top 15 competitors in the current World Cup ranking automatically qualify for the final. The top 35 competitors in the qualification who have not already qualified automatically for the final also advance to the final. There are two rounds of jumps in the final event. The first round has 50 starters with only the top 30 skiers moving on to the final round.

Former Olympic gold medalist, Simon Ammann, is favored to win the gold

Ammann has odds of 13/5 to win the gold medal in this event according to online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com. Other short odds to win are Gregor Schlierenzauer (3/1), Thomas Morgenstern (6/1), and Anders Jacobsen (7/1).

Ammann, who competes for Switzerland, won the gold medal in this event in the 2002 Olympics and he also won the large hill event that year. He took second in the 2007 world championships for this event while placing third in 2009.

Schlierenzauer, who competes for Austria, finished second in the 2009 world championships while winning in 2007. He was the 2009 large hill world champion.

Morgenstern competes for Austria and he is the 2006 Olympic gold medal winner in the large hill jump. He won the 2005 world championships for this event, and also took third in 2007.

Jacobsen represents Norway and he is a two-time medalist in the 2009 world championships, but neither were for normal hill. He has yet to win a medal on the world stage for this event.

The 2010 Winter Olympics take place from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada beginning Friday, Feb. 12. and concluding Sunday, Feb. 28. For complete odds on which athlete will win the men’s normal hill ski jumping event, see below.

Odds to win Men’s Normal Hill Ski Jumping at 2010 Winter Olympics

Simon Ammann 13/5

Gregor Schlierenzauer 3/1

Thomas Morgenstern 6/1

Anders Jacobsen 7/1

Adam Malysz 10/1

Janne Ahonen 13/1

Wolfgang Loitzl 17/1

Andreas Kofler 22/1

Harri Olli 33/1

Robert Kranjec 33/1

Martin Schmitt 40/1