Austrian ski jumper Daniel Tschofenig has been disqualified from the men's large hill individual event at the Winter Olympics after his boots were found to be four millimetres larger than the permitted limit. The 23-year-old, who had qualified for the final, described his error as 'extremely stupid'.
Tschofenig admitted he had used new shoes in training but failed to measure them properly. 'Unfortunately, I was naive and didn't measure it. Extremely stupid of me, there was just so much stress going on. But rules are rules,' he said.
The disqualification came as a blow to Tschofenig, who was considered a medal favourite after a stellar World Cup season in which he won eight events and claimed the overall title, as well as the Four Hills Tournament. He was replaced in the final by Slovakia's Hektor Kapustik.
The event was ultimately won by Slovenia's Domen Prevc, with Japan's Ren Nikaido taking silver and Poland's Kacper Tomasiak bronze. The incident follows earlier reports of male ski jumpers injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid to improve suit measurements, and the disqualification of American Annika Belshaw for oversized skis.
