Stefan Kraft's Impressive Double Win in Courchevel

Stefan Kraft, the reigning overall World Cup champion from Austria, has kicked off the FIS Ski Jumping Grand Prix 2024 with an outstanding performance in Courchevel, France. Following his victory the day prior, Kraft secured another convincing win on Wednesday, finishing more than 20 points ahead of his nearest rivals once again.

Surprisingly, Norway's Fredrik Villumstadt claimed the second spot, while France's Valentin Foubert showcased his remarkable form, taking home third place.

"That's a nice snapshot, it makes me very, very happy how this has gone. You can see that we've trained very well, but now it's straight back to the hard training. I always enjoy being here in Courchevel. I like the hill; the temperatures are usually cool, although it was quite hot yesterday and the weather was a bit erratic,” Kraft remarked after his wins.

Thanks to his double victory, Kraft currently leads the Grand Prix with a perfect score of 200 points out of a possible 200 after two competitions.

“The tension in a competition like this is completely different from training. There’s more excitement; in training, you usually do your four or five jumps, while in competition, you have two chances to perform well,” Kraft explained, proudly donning the Yellow Bib for the first time in his career as the Grand Prix leader.

Villumstadt demonstrated his exceptional summer skills with his second-place finish. Last year, the 25-year-old secured a fourth-place finish in Szczyrk, Poland, marking this occasion as his first podium finish.

Local favorite Valentin Foubert emerged as another highlight of the Courchevel event. Following a strong second-place finish the day before, he made it onto the podium yet again, finishing in third. Celebrating his 22nd birthday in just a few days, Foubert has the potential to bring France back to the top of the World Cup rankings, a feat last accomplished by Nicolas Dessum, who won in Sapporo, Japan, in 1995.

With 140 points, Foubert sits in second place in the overall Grand Prix standings, a significant achievement for both him and the French team. Italy's Alex Insam placed fourth, finishing just 0.1 points behind Foubert.

Rounding out the top positions, two more Austrians, Jan Hoerl and Manuel Fettner, took fifth and sixth place respectively, while Germany’s Markus Eisenbichler and Karl Geiger improved slightly, finishing in 15th and 16th.

Next, the Grand Prix will continue in Wisla, Poland. However, the competitions originally scheduled for this weekend in Wisla have been postponed to September 14 and 15.