Vierschanzentournee - Kraft wins Bischofshofen Qualifying ahead of Ortner

Stefan Kraft and the Austrian ski jumpers continued their dominance in the qualification for the concluding Three Kings Jump of the Four Hills Tournament. Tournament leader Stefan Kraft jumped clearly ahead with a strong performance at 142 meters, finishing well before Maximilian Ortner in a commanding victory.

With thousands of fans in attendance, all eleven Austrian competitors advanced to the knockout round, showcasing their skill on the Außerleitner Ski Jump. Daniel Tschofenig secured fourth place, while Jan Hörl finished sixth, demonstrating the strength of the Austrian team.

Kraft will head into the tournament finale on Monday with only a slim 0.6-point lead over Hörl. Tschofenig trails closely behind with just 1.3 points separating them. Notably, the international competitors are significantly behind, missing over 20 points from the podium.

The talented Gregor Deschwanden from Switzerland ranked third in the qualification.

Kraft expressed confidence after his jumps, noting, "It definitely strengthens my confidence. When it’s going well, everything flows. I felt increasingly relaxed, and it was truly enjoyable. Even in qualifying, the passion was evident." He outperformed Tschofenig and Hörl by over nine points, as both had less-than-ideal qualifying jumps.

Tschofenig remarked on his performance, stating, "It was okay, but not spectacular. There’s still a lot of potential for improvement; I wasn’t too far off the mark." Hörl echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging that while he didn’t hit the ideal point of takeoff, his jump still yielded satisfactory results, expressing determination to challenge his older competitors in the upcoming final round.