Austrian teenager Schlierenzauer
soars to win first Four Hills ski jump
Photo:
OBERSTDORF, Germany (AFP) - Austrian
teenager Gregor Schlierenzauer won the first event
in the Four Hills ski jumping calendar ahead of
Switzerland's Andreas Kuettel and Adam Malysz of
Poland.
Schlierenzauer, 16, jumped 135.5m and 142m for a
combined total of 296 points, 9.5pts ahead of Kuettel
(133.5 and 136.5m), with Malysz 6.2pts further adrift
with jumps of 132 and 134m.
The world junior champion recorded the longest first
jump and outclassed his rivals on his second time
up on the ramp for the longest jump of the day at
142m.
"It's the greatest day of my life," beamed
the schoolboy and poker fanatic who will be 17 on
the fourth and last of the Four Hills events on
January 7 in Bischofshofen, Austria.
"I would love to celebrate my 17th birthday
by winning the competition."
Schlierenzauer, amazingly in only his first season
on the world circuit, revealed he had been disappointed
not to grab the hill record.
"I jumped in the same way as I did in all the
other competitions," he said. "Both jumps
were really on a high level. In the final round
I felt at once that I stood high in the air and
that I will fly long.
"I missed the hill record, but you can't get
everything."
Including his victory here, the Austrian youngster
has won three of this season's six events counting
for the World Cup (previously in Lillehammer and
Engelberg), taking him to the top of the overall
rankings.
Switzerland's Simon Ammann, double Olympic champion
in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and overall leader
before the Oberstdorf jump, had to be happy with
a fifth place finish.
Janne Ahonen of Finland finished seventh, making
his bid to become the first jumper to win the Four
Hills for a record fifth time a tough ask.
Ahonen, co-winner of last year's event with Czech
Jakub Janda, is already 22pts down on Schlierenzauer
while Janda lost any chance to defend the title
with his disappointing 21st place finish on Saturday.
The second of the Four Hills competition takes place
on January 1 in the southern German resort town
of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
