Eetu Nousiainen finished eighth in the hill jumping World Cup at Oberstdorf. The ranking was the best in Nousiainen’s career.
20.3. 18:54 • Updated March 20th. 19:08
Eetu Nousiainen was eighth in the hill jumping World Cup flight race in Oberstdorf. Nousiainen was second after the 216-meter jump in the first lap, but dropped to eighth in the second lap. Nousiainen’s second jump carried 201.5 meters.
– It’s a great race. It’s really good to start with that. This gives Eetus faith and hope for the coming and coming seasons when she knows she is on the right track, Sports Expert Janne Ahonen said on TV.
The Oberstdorf competition was won by Slovenia Timi Zajc before Poland Piotr Zylaa and Austria Stefan Kraftia.
Although Nousiainen’s ranking fell in the second round, the Finn was seen to have a happy ventilation and roar. Before this weekend, Nousiainen’s best place in the World Cup was 18th from Lahti a month ago.
Other Finns in the competition Antti Aalto and Niko Kytösaho dropped out of the second round as the first athletes. Aalto’s jump carried 187.5 meters and Kytösaho’s 187 meters.
Nousiainen was already in good spirits on Saturday when he was 15th on the same hill. The best World Cup ranking in his career turned out to be handsomely better in the next race. In Friday’s qualifier, Nousiainen jumped to his own record of 223.5 meters.
Nousiainen dropped out of the hill jump national team before the start of the season. The Kuopio resident sought a pace below the World Cup in the Continental Cup and is now a few months later the hottest name in Finnish hill jumping.
The World Cup will culminate next weekend in Planica, Slovenia.