ÖSV Combined: Overall Ski Jumping World Cup Victory Goes to an Austrian

Originally published in krone.at on February 16, 2025

In Sapporo, the overall men’s ski jumping World Cup has been decisively secured by an Austrian for the 15th time. In the second competition of the day, the last remaining opponent from the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV), Norwegian Johann Andre Forfang, finished third behind Daniel Tschofenig, extending his deficit on the Kärntner by an insurmountable 651 points with six competitions still to go. Also featuring on the podium were fellow Austrians Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft, who placed sixth and fifth respectively.

In the Sapporo contest on the large hill, after the first round rankings positioned Tschofenig, Kraft, Maximilian Ortner, and Hörl in positions five, six, eight, and ten respectively, the final jumps did not allow the contenders to mount a challenge for the podium. Ryoyu Kobayashi from Japan, who had also claimed victory in the previous day’s event in the Olympic city of Sapporo, delivered two jumps of 132 m and 137 m to win and solidify his form ahead of the World Championships starting in Trondheim on February 26.

Daniel Tschofenig, achieving the best result among the Austrians in this competition with jumps of 127 m and 130 m, now leads the overall World Cup standings among his countrymen, with his closest domestic rival, the Salzburg jumper Hörl, trailing by 183 points. While Kraft retains theoretical chances for defending his overall title, he remains far behind Tschofenig in the rankings. Looking ahead, the contest for the World Cup now appears to turn into a head-to-head battle between Tschofenig and Hörl, with additional competitions scheduled in Vikersund, Oslo, Lahti, and Planica in March.

Optimism abounds as the athletes prepare for the upcoming World Championships, with Austria expected to confirm its nomination for the team. The performance of athletes such as Tschofenig, Hörl, Kraft, Ortner, and even veteran figures like Michael Hayböck, who is set to retire at the end of the season, will be key as they gear up for the world stage.