Ryoyu Kobayashi took the third hill week win of his career with four second places. Mäkiviikko has been won eight times before without a race win.
of Japan Ryoyu Kobayashi aired his third hill week kingship in Bischofshofen after finishing second in the last race as well. Four straight second places were historically enough to win the hill week’s overall race.
In the past, the mountain week has not been won with four second places, but eight times before the first place in the overall race has been lost without a victory in the competition.
Austria jumped ahead of Kobayashi in the final race Stefan Kraft, whose jumps carried 136.5 and 140 meters. Kraft already won the World Cup Urheilu expert Janne Ahonen along with 36 race wins.
Kobayashi’s toughest challenger in the hill week’s overall race was Germany Andreas Wellinger, who finished fifth. His dreams of winning the hill week were already dashed in the first round with a weak jump of 132 meters, while Kobayashi reached 137 meters at the same time.
Kobayashi defeated Wellinger in the overall race with 24.5 points. Kraft was third in the hilly week, 32.5 points behind Kobayashi.
– Mäkiivik left a good taste, but of course I would have wished that the final solution would have been even later. Now it was actually decided in the first round, Urheilu’s expert Janne Ahonen said.
Kobayashi’s hill week win was his third. Ahonen won the mountain week five times in his career. Is it sad that Kobayashi is only two wins away, asked the commentator Mikko Hannula From Ahose on ‘s TV broadcast.
– It doesn’t hurt. There is still a little way to go, Ahonen acknowledged.
The Germans’ winless streak in the hill week’s overall race still continues. The previous German winner is Sven Hannawald in 2002.
For Finns, the success of mountain week is just a memory. Antti Aalto survived in Bischofshofen as the only Finn to his second round and was 28th. His jumps carried 120.5 and 123.5 meters. Eetu Nousiainen qualified from the second round with his jump of 113.5 meters and was 42nd in the final results. Kasperi Valto and Niko Kytösaho missed the qualifiers on Friday.
In the overall race, Aalto was the best Finn, 35th.
The Hill Jumping World Cup continues next week in Wisla, Poland.
Central European hill week, final results:
1. Ryoyu Kobayashi JPN 1145.2 points
2. Andreas Wellinger GER -24.5 points from the winner
3. Stefan Kraft AUT -32.5
4. Jan Hörl AUT -51.7
5. Anze Lanisek SLO -56.1
6. Michael Hayböck AUT -78.3
7. Lovro Kos SLO -101.4
8. Clemens Aigner AUT -102.8
9. Marius Lindvik NOR -115.8
10. Timi Zajc SLO -119.2
35. Antti Aalto FIN -630.5
40. Eetu Nousiainen FIN -728.8
41. Kasperi Valto FIN -779.4
44. Niko Kytösaho FIN -844.9