2024-01-20 18:01:35
The Austrian ski jumpers won the World Cup team competition in Zakopane in a confident manner. The ÖSV quartet with high-flyers Stefan Kraft, Jan Hörl, Manuel Fettner and Michael Hayböck won on Saturday in Poland with 1,146.6 points, clearly ahead of Slovenia (-51.1) and Germany (-83.8). In the first classic team competition of the season, the red-white-red ski jumpers also managed the dress rehearsal for the Ski Flying World Championships on Kulm next week.
“Mega, I’ve never had such a huge lead in a team competition,” said an overjoyed Kraft as he ran out. The team was terrific. Fettner was also satisfied. “We are all super happy with the result. We knew that the team competition could be our chance to get closer again in the Poland Tour,” explained the veteran.
In the overall ranking of the newly created Poland Tour, Austria is only 2.4 points behind Slovenia before the last competition on Sunday. Kraft impressed at the foot of the Tatra Mountains with jumps of 141 and 138.5 m and gave head coach Andreas Widhölzl’s team a comfortable lead at half time. With his 35th podium finish in a team competition, the overall World Cup leader also set another record.
Bergisel winner Hörl (129/137), Fettner (130/137) and Hayböck also kept their nerve in difficult wind conditions, which meant that the ÖSV Adler were able to celebrate together in Zakopane, like last year. Starting jumper Hayböck increased his jump from 127 to 142.5 m in the second round and paved the way to success in the final for the best eight teams.
On Sunday (4 p.m./live ORF 1) there is an individual competition on the program at the end. Kraft won the qualification on Friday. The 30-year-old from Salzburg is aiming for his 109th World Cup podium in an individual competition, which would make him the most consistent pole jumper in ski jumping history ahead of Finn Janne Ahonen (108).
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