Large Hill, Individual, Men

Silver medalist Sigmund Ruud, now 24, was the only top contender left from the 1928 Winter Olympic competition. The eldest of three famous ski jumping brothers from Kongsberg was world champion in 1929. He was joined on the 1932 Norwegian ski jumping team by his brother Birger, who won the world championship in 1931, at only 19. Hans Beck, also a Kongsberg jumper and still only 20, and 19-year-old Kåre Walberg from Hamar completed the Norwegian team. It was a young team with lots of ski jumping talent. It is interesting to note that three of the four jumpers on the US team were born in Norway, Roy Mikkelsen also having been born in Kongsberg.

The lack of snow created big problems for the organizers, but due to strong efforts by driving snow into the jumping hill from locations higher up in the Adirondacks the ski jumping competition was organized as scheduled.

Beck made a perfect jump in the first round, 71.5 m., five meters longer than Birger Ruud in second place, and had a clear lead. Kongsberg-born Mikkelsen from the USA made a great effort, but was not able to land his 68.0 m. jump cleanly, fell and was injured, and had to withdraw from the second round. The Swede Sten Eriksson was in third place with a 65.5 m. jump, closely followed by Walberg, Sigmund Ruud, the winner of the Nordic combined jump competition Fritz Kaufmann, and the main US hope after Mikkelsen’s fall, Caspar Oimoen.

In the second round Beck tried to secure his gold medal without taking risks, and made a safe jump of 63.5 m. Birger Ruud saw his chance, gave all he had and made an excellent jump of 69.0 m., passing his club mate Beck by 1.1 points in the final classification. Walberg managed to narrowly pass Eriksson and secured a Norwegian triple. Oimoen satisfied the home crowd by producing the second best jump in the last round with 67.5 m. to place 5th.