© Sports Report
Ski Austria ski jumper Stefan Kroft reached another milestone in his great career on Sunday in Wisła (POL).
Kraft equaled Finn Jan Ahonen's record with his 108th podium finish.
Four in top ten: Strong team finish at Wisla
Stephen Croft finished second in the jumping at Wisła on Sunday. Leading at half-time, Salzburg had to concede defeat to Ryoyu Kobayashi. Japan beat Kraft by 5.1 points.
This means the 30-year-old from Salzburg is just missing the top three to become the only record holder. This means that Kroft, who is currently the dominant overall World Cup leader after six wins this season, could become the most consistent pole vaulter in ski jumping history at the Wisla, Szirk and Jakoban competitions.
In 282 World Cup starts, Beijing's team Olympic champion jumped on the podium a total of 108 times and celebrated 36 victories. Ahonen competed 412 times and celebrated 36 individual victories. Gregor Schlierenchauer holds the World Cup record with 53 wins and 88 podium finishes in 275 races.
ÖSV Adler delivered an impressive team performance: Jan Harl, Michael Haebach and Manuel Fedtner took six to eight places, with Clemens Eigner finishing 16th.
Stephen Croft: “I've been sick since Tuesday. I've been sick this week. I saved all my energy for today. It's unbelievable that I'm now on par with the god of ski jumping, Jan Ahonen. It's going to be crazy to be the best ski jumper in front of my big idol. It's special and something I'm very proud of. Statistics.
Stefan Rettenegger was second in Oberstdorf
In the second race in Oberstdorf (GER) Stephan Rednecker was back on the podium. The Salzburg man had to concede defeat to Jarl Magnus Reiber (NOR) and celebrated his career-best finish with second place. Third place goes to Manuel Feist (GER). In the absence of Johannes Lamparder, a total of three Austrians entered the top ten: Martin Fritz in 8th and Thomas Rednecker in 10th.
Johannes Lamparder decided not to start
Team Sky Austria again showed their class in the jumping round. There were no five Austrians behind jump winner Jarl Magnus Rieber. Led by Johannes Lamparder, he started the 7.5 kilometers in short form, six seconds behind. Behind them were Thomas and Stefan Rednecker (+12 seconds and +17 seconds) as well as Franz Josef Rehrl and Martin Fritz (+22 seconds and +26 seconds).
However, soon after the jump, Johannes Lamparter decided against taking up cross-country skiing. “After yesterday's race I didn't feel well and my cycle was completely rubbish. I had wisdom tooth surgery at the end of December and had to take a break from training and also take antibiotics. Maybe there was something left in my body. “I wanted to be on the safe side and that's why I did today. Not ready for a race,” Lambarter explained of his decision.
Other Red White Red athletes appeared in the race. In the first round, the two rednecks faced off against Jarl Magnus Ryber. Thomas, the older of the two Rednecker brothers, had to give up as Stefan Rettenegger and Jarl Magnus Riiber battled for victory and set a high pace. He was caught by the larger chase group, but had no chance of closing the gap in front of them. In the end, Jarl Magnus Rieber played his entire routine and won the finish sprint against Rettenaker. The second best Austrian, Martin Fritz, was 22.2 seconds behind Rieber, with Thomas Rednecker 27.9 seconds behind in tenth place.
Other Rankings of Austrians:
14. Franz Josef Rehrl
22. Lucas Greiderer
29. Mario Cheadle
41. Paul Walzer
For the women, Lisa Hirner decided not to compete in cross-country skiing again. After finishing 6th in jumping, a gastrointestinal illness again thwarted his plans. Austrian Annalena Schlamic, second in the open, finished 21st overall after finishing 10th on vault.
Stephen Rednecker: (2.) “The race today was brutal, the group behind us was always very close, we always had to go very fast so they couldn't catch up. I'm so glad we did it. Although I wish I had bent it today (Jarl Magnus Rieber, note) I am very happy with my excellent World Cup result. I'm really happy with the season so far, it's going well and I'll do my best to stay at the front.
Martin Fritz: (8.) “The whole day was very good today, and I performed very well on the hill. I notice that the jumps are getting better and looser and I can keep up better. It was very hectic in the crowd today, everyone wants to pass on the last lap, so it's a battle for position. I don't have the grains for that yet.”
Thomas Rednecker: (10.) “A good show on the hill today. Of course, perfect form is always bitter as a good jumper because you have less lead than in a normal individual competition. But the running form was also good and when the big group came, I was the one who fought for survival. It wasn't enough to go any further today, but I'm still happy about another top ten finish.
Presseinfo
Ski Austria/Austrian Ski Association
14.01.2024
