Manuel Fettner, Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft came fourth to sixth in Anze Lanisek’s (SLO) triumph on Monday. Kraft lost a further 14.8 points to the German leader Andreas Wellinger in the Four Hills Tournament ranking. Before moving back home, he is 25.2 points behind the third-placed Oberstdorf winner this time.
“I’m very happy with sixth place, it could have turned out differently. It was a solid day. I have to take that with me. It’s a shame that no one made it onto the podium,” said five-time season winner Kraft in an ORF interview. He saw his chances in the tour rankings as significantly reduced. “The competition was very well-behaved, but the gap is already very big. Of course it will be difficult,” he said with regard to the upcoming home competitions. He is already considerably behind the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi, who is second in the daily and overall standings.
Hörl fell off the podium from second place in the final, which was influenced by changing wind conditions. “It’s a shame, but it didn’t happen,” said the Salzburg native regretfully. Veteran Fettner was less than three points short of the podium in front of a record crowd of 21,000 sold-out fans. “I would have hoped for the podium, but three others were simply better,” explained the Tyrolean.
It continues on Tuesday with the qualification for the Bergisel jumping in Innsbruck on Wednesday. Just like in the final on Epiphany, the national group of ÖSV-Adlers will fight for a place in the top 50. Most recently, 17-year-old Tyrolean Stephan Embacher impressed with a win and second place in Engelberg in the second-class Continental Cup.
