Dieter Thoma
Encyclopedia
Biography
Dieter Thoma (born October 19, 1969 in HinterzartenHinterzarten
Hinterzarten is a resort village in the Black Forest , located in the southwest of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Although Hinterzarten is mostly famous for its ski jumpers, it also has many tourist attractions .- Hinterzarten :Hinterzarten was founded in 1148...
) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
ski jumper who competed in the 1990s. In the 1990,s he was the second best German ski jumper after Jens Weißflog. Thoma wasn't the first known ski jumper in the family: His uncle Georg Thoma
Georg Thoma
Georg Thoma is a former German nordic combined skier. He won two Winter Olympic medals in the Nordic combined with gold in 1960 and bronze in 1964....
was both world
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
and Olympic champion in the nordic combined
Nordic combined
The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in Nordic skiing since the 19th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...
. Thoma won his first competition in 1990 when he won the Four Hills Tournament
Four Hills Tournament
The Four Hills Tournament is composed of four Ski Jumping World Cup events and has taken place in Germany and Austria each year since 1952.The Four Hills Tournament champion is the one who gets the most points over the four events...
. He also won Ski-flying World Championships
Ski-flying World Championships
The FIS Ski Flying World Championships is a competition that is held every two years, with the occasional exception. The Championship takes place in big ski jumping hills, with K-spots over 185 meters. Unlike ordinary ski jumping, the Ski Flying World Champion is determined after four jumps...
in Vikersund
Vikersund
Vikersund is a town of 2,448 inhabitants in the municipality capital of Modum, in the county of Buskerud, Norway.Vikersund is located 30 kilometers south of Hønefoss and 40 kilometers northwest of Drammen. The village is located at the southwestern arm of Tyrifjorden. The Drammen river enters...
at the end of the 1989-90 season. Before the start of the 1993-94 season, Thoma changed his technique from jumping with parallel skis
Daescher technique
The Daescher technique is a ski jumping technique that was created by Andreas Daescher of Switzerland. This technique was created in the 1950s as a modification of the Kongsberger technique where the arms are placed backward toward the hips for a closer lean...
to the V-style
V-style
The V-style of ski jumping was created by Miroslaw Graf, a Polish ski jumper from Szklarska Poreba. As early as 1969 Graf discovered the style as a kid, but later his colleagues were laughing at his jumps....
, and was a part of the German team who won the team competition at the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
. He also won a bronze medal in the individual normal hill in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, then won a silver medal in the team large hill competition at the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano. Thoma also won a bronze in the FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1998
FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1998
The FIS Ski-Flying World Ski Championships 1998 took place on 25 January 1998 in Oberstdorf, Germany for the record-tying fourth time, matching that of Planica, Slovenia. Oberstdorf hosted the championships previously in West Germany in 1973, 1981, and 1988...
in Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf is a municipality and skiing and hiking town in southwest Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps.At the center of Oberstdorf is a church whose tall spire serves as a landmark for navigating around town. The summits of the Nebelhorn and Fellhorn provide...
.
Thoma won five medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
, including one gold (Team large hill: 1999), two silvers (Team large hill: 1995, Individual large hill: 1997), and two bronzes (Team large hill: 1991 and 1997).
Thoma retired after the 1998/99 season.