Stefan Kraft also celebrates with ÖSV in the team competition

On Saturday, Stefan Kraft and the ÖSV team achieved two victories in the individual ski flying competition carried out the day before in Planica and then in the team competition. The Salzburger celebrated his 30th World Cup victory with a 239.5 m flight and is only ten points behind the Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud, who only finished fourth on Saturday, in the fight for the small crystal globe in ski flying before the season finale on Sunday became.

Stefan Kraft: “So cool!”

Kraft won with 240.5 points, 5.8 points ahead of Slovenia’s Anze Lanisek and 7.2 ahead of Poland’s Piotr Zyla. He is second in the overall World Cup and Austria can theoretically no longer lose the Nations Cup.

“So cool. I was brutally nervous, there’s such a mood here. It was a bit too late again, but it works better, as you can see. But that was definitely the best jump now,” Kraft said on ORF TV -Interview. He was particularly pleased that his flight was rewarded with three top marks of 20.0. “It was a very nice telemark at almost 240 m, cool that this is recognized.”

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Salzburg with the best chances on Sunday

Kraft now has excellent chances for the small crystal ball in ski flying on Sunday, he is only ten points short of overall winner Granerud in the special classification. “Ten points is a touch of nothing and that will certainly be very exciting tomorrow.”

The second best Austrian in the competition, which was only completed in one round – as planned after the postponement – was Jan Hörl, who finished fifth with 236 m. The distance is the best he has ever put in the run. “It’s a lot of fun, personal best is amazing.” It didn’t bother him that he finished fifth again. “Now I’ve finished fifth for the sixth time, that’s my regular place,” he said with a laugh. “Of course I want to go further up the field, but I’m super happy.”

Salzburg duo jumps to team victory with ÖSV

Immediately afterwards, the team competition took place. And even after this, red-white-red was at the top. Daniel Tschofenig, Michael Hayböck, Hörl and final jumper Kraft won with 1,688.7 points, just 6.1 points ahead of hosts Slovenia and 33.5 ahead of Norway.

This trio fought for the podium places from the first to the eighth jump. After the penultimate jumper, Austria was only a hair’s breadth behind the Slovenians, then ÖSV head coach Andreas Widholzl decided to voluntarily shorten the jump by one hatch and this coup worked thanks to the added gate points. Kraft sailed again on 235.5 m as in round one and sealed the further victory of the Austrians.

Kraft: “We almost couldn’t believe it”

“Incredible. Almost similar emotions to last year when it came to the big ball in the Nations Cup,” said “double winner” Kraft on ORF. “We were really happy, we almost couldn’t believe that we beat the Slovenians at home in ski flying.” It was also the first victory of an Austrian ski flying team in eleven years. “My very first ski flying win as a team, cool,” explained Kraft.

The long-distance hunters sometimes don’t like a shortening by the head coach. “I said maybe the boss will still pay me a round because he took a 240 from me, but he did everything right,” explained Kraft with a laugh. Widholzl replied that he was happy to pay for the round. “Krafti jumped incredibly cool today. Yesterday we really found something that helps him.”

Longest ski jumping season in history

The ski jumping World Cup season will end on Sunday, April 2nd, late as never before, with the last individual competition.

(Those: APA)