Granerud wins the first stage of the Four Hills Tournament

Halvor Egner Granerud may have already locked in the overall victory of the Four Hills Tournament. Despite there being six jumps left, the Norwegian decisively won the first stage in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Thursday. Granerud, who was already at the top following Wednesday's qualifications, achieved a total of 312.4 points. His finals jump of 139 meters helped him overcome his Polish rivals, with Zyla finishing second with 299 points and Kubacki in third at 294.9 points.

Notably, the first round revealed the disappointing performances of Slovenian Anze Lanisek, who ranked tenth with 267.4 points, significantly hampering his chances for the overall tournament, as well as last year's champion Ryoyu Kobayashi from Japan, who finished fifteenth with 251.6 points, already giving up hopes of a repeat victory.

The remainder of the Tournament will see the jumpers heading to Garmisch-Partenkirchen on January 1, then Innsbruck on January 4, with the final competition in Bischofshofen on January 6.