Kraft and Hayböck narrowly prevailed on Saturday (local time) with a lead of 0.2 points over Germany and Norway (-15.6). For the ÖSV-Adler it was the first triumph in the new team competition introduced last season.
In the fourth Super Team World Cup, in which teams of two compete in three rounds, the ÖSV duo defended their lead before the final round in difficult wind conditions. In the third jump, Kraft landed at 123 m. Since the Norwegian Johann Andre Forfang, who was leading before the last jump, made a mistake with 118.5 m, the two red-white-red roommates were able to celebrate. In the Nations Cup, Austria now leads even more clearly with 4,128 points, ahead of Germany (3,322) and Slovenia (2,391).
In the individual, following the first round it already looked like a red-white-red triumph due to the double lead by Kraft and the Tyrolean Clemens Aigner. However, both crashed and only ended up in 24th and 22nd place. The best ÖSV Adler were Hayböck and Daniel Huber in fourth and fifth, while the Slovenian Lovro Kos celebrated his first individual World Cup victory.
While the Upper Austrian Hayböck held his position in fourth place at the half with 123.5 m, Aigner initially crashed with his best World Cup result in sight. The returnee to the ÖSV World Cup team has so far been sixth in the maximum. For Kraft it was regarding his eighth World Cup victory this season, which would have equaled his personal record from the winter of 2016/17. But it was one of his worse jumps at 104 m.
Most recently in Willingen, the Pongauer missed qualifying for round two in 39th place before he finished sixth the next day. The 30-year-old has a second chance in singles in Lake Placid on Sunday (3:15 p.m., live ORF 1). The 24-year-old Kos won by 0.8 points ahead of the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi and 1.1 points ahead of the Norwegian Marius Lindvik. Hayböck was only 3.1 points behind the winner.
Huber was only 0.6 points behind his compatriot. For Salzburg, who returned to the World Cup this season, it was his best World Cup result since his only World Cup victory to date on Epiphany 2022 in Bischofshofen. Huber had already finished third in qualifying. Manuel Fettner came 15th in the competition (-15.3 points), Daniel Tschofenig (-30.3) placed between Aigner (-29.0) and Kraft (-31.9). The season dominator was the last of six Austrians, Andreas Wellinger (GER/7th) and Kobayashi made up ground in the overall World Cup.
“I’m a stupid boy,” Kraft reacted to his second jump in an ORF interview. He had familiar problems with the track once more. “Then I get a rotation forward. It was a bad jump and then bad conditions. Then it rewinds you.” The night before he had had back pain once more, but it got better with jumping.
