Vierschanzentournee - Austria Celebrates a Triple Victory in Oberstdorf

Vierschanzentournee - Austria Celebrates a Triple Victory in Oberstdorf

Austria celebrated a triple victory at the kickoff of the Vierschanzentournee on Sunday in Oberstdorf, with Stefan Kraft emerging victorious over Jan Hörl and Daniel Tschofenig!

Kraft claimed his 44th career World Cup victory, marking his first of the season. It was the first ÖSV win in the opening jump of the tour in eight years, the last being Kraft himself triumphing at Schattenberg.

At 31, Kraft was in peak form at the right time. Following four podium finishes in ten jumps, he finally claimed the top spot this winter. Having won the tour in 2014 and 2016, as well as becoming world champion in Oberstdorf in 2021, Kraft expressed his excitement: "A triple victory at the start of the tour is really awesome," he told ORF. "It was somewhat of a high-risk jump, yet it turned out perfectly."

After jumps measuring 138 and 135.5 meters, Kraft ended up 3.5 points ahead of Hörl. Tschofenig finished 11.5 points behind. The 22-year-old from Carinthia, who had achieved the longest distance in both qualifications and practice, shot up from seventh place with a 140.5-meter jump. The best non-Austrian was the German World Cup leader Pius Paschke, who finished fourth, 13.8 points behind Kraft.

Day two will feature the next event, the New Year's Jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with the qualification scheduled for Tuesday.

Kraft started strong after leading after the first round. He was ahead of Hörl by just 1.3 points after Hörl's jump of 134.5 meters in challenging conditions. Tschofenig, who secured his second World Cup victory during the tour's trial in Engelberg, wasn't at his best and scored 131 meters.

Kraft's teammate, Michael Hayböck, fell from fifth place in the finals with a weak 129.5 meters to eighth position. Maximilian Ortner finished 11th, while Markus Müller was in 14th place.

Kraft Leads After First Half
Stefan Kraft's outstanding performance showed his leadership as he heads into the next jumps, ready for a competitive series in the Vierschanzentournee.