Ski jumper Philipp Raimund: Fear of heights stops appearing in Planica!

Ski jumper Philipp Raimund: Fear of heights stops appearing in Planica!

Planica, Slowenien - ski jumper Philipp Raimund announced today that he withdraws from the ski flight competition in Planica at short notice. The 24-year-old suffers from afraid of heights, who adds considerably to him while ski flying. According to OE24.at sometimes the feeling of being paralyzed for about 1.5 seconds and not being able to react. Usually he has control over his jumps, but he feels it very differently when skiing.

In order not to take any risk, he canceled both the individual flying on Friday and the team competition on Saturday. Raimund stated that 95 percent of his jumps are not affected by this fear. His decision raises the question of how far associated fears in the world of competitive sports can be normalized.

fears in competitive sports

Fear is a fundamental feeling that occurs in response to threatening or uncontrollable situations. It fulfills a survival function, but can also be a hindrance if it becomes disproportionate. Social and specific phobias are widespread forms of fears that can affect athletes in competition situations. While many athletes try to get their nervousness under control, cope with this fear is often critically experienced. Spiegel express what the performance can influence.

, among other things, have athletes such as the Norwegian ski jumper Daniel Andre Tande, who noticed with his fear of height during the four -hill tour, that it is not uncommon when fear is noticeable during competitions. According to the sports psychologists, various strategies for coping with fear can help to increase performance in an emergency. These include distraction techniques, positive soliloquy and breathing techniques.

coping strategies for athletes

Some effective methods to deal with such fears include autogenic training and progressive muscle relaxation for relaxation. Positive postures can also improve self -confidence and mood. These techniques could also be important for Raimund in order to overcome its fear of heights in the future and to regain its place in skiing.

The decision of the young athlete shows how important mental health is in competitive sport and that athletes, despite the pressure they feel, are forced to take their own limits into account. It remains to be seen how the situation for Philipp Raimund will develop.