The last act: A marathon season ends with the long-distance hunt from Planica

While alpine athletes, combined athletes, biathletes, cross-country skiers, ski crossers and freestylers are already on their summer break, (male) ski jumpers are still active. Tomorrow the longest season in history will turn into the home straight with the ski flying qualification (10.20 a.m.) in Planica. Three competitions are still on the agenda: tomorrow the first individual competition (2.50 p.m.), on Saturday a team event (9.50 a.m.) and on Sunday (9.55 a.m., each ORF 1) the second individual.

The main decisions have actually been made: Halvor Egner Granerud (North), who is this winter’s top earner with prize money of CHF 433,800, has secured the big crystal globe for the overall champion, the Nations Cup should go to the Austrian “Adler” , who are 1210 points ahead of Norway.

Kraft’s legend status

Stefan Kraft (CHF 262,850) moved up to second place in the World Cup rankings ahead of Dawid Kubacki (Pol), who ended the season early due to his wife’s serious illness. The 29-year-old from Salzburg wants to successfully defend this position on his favorite hill. Only local hero Anze Lanisek is in danger, the Slovenian is 121 points behind Kraft, who has already achieved 15 podium finishes this season and is still fighting for the small ball in the ski flying World Cup. The Pongauer is 60 points behind Granerud.

“For us, an overall very good season is ending,” said ÖSV head coach Andreas Widholzl, looking at a true marathon calendar with 91 competitions (women’s and Summer Grand Prix included). “In the Nations Cup we are clearly ahead, that was our declared goal. Stefan Kraft deserves special mention because he has proven again why he has to be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest legends of our sport,” explained the Tyrolean, the next seven man for the showdown in Slovenia: Kraft, Michael Hayböck, Daniel Tschofenig, Jan Hörl Manuel Fettner, Clemens Aigner and Clemens Leitner. The Ebensee Maximilian Steiner, who holds the Salzkammergut record, is not there this time.

Moody atmosphere

Despite the exertion, the batteries are not empty. “The athletes are fully motivated and want to show what they’re made of,” emphasized Widholzl. The atmosphere in the stadium should be right, tickets are available from six euros. This final event is therefore significantly cheaper than the Nordic World Championships in Planica at the end of February, where the number of spectators was limited.

On March 22, 2018, Gregor Schlierenzauer proved how far things can go on the “Letalnica bratov Gorisek”. At that time, the 33-year-old winner of 53 World Cup individual competitions sailed to the world record of 253.5 m set by Kraft in Vikersund in 2017, he but grabbed into the snow after landing. what happens tomorrow

Is Michael Hayböck still in the top ten?

Michael Hayböck (UVB Hinzenbach) is still fighting for a top ten place in the overall ski jumping World Cup. Before the two individual ski flying events in Planica, 57 points separate the 32-year-old Theninger from the German Karl Geiger, who is tenth. That seems to be catching up, especially since Hayböck is doing well with the giant Bakken in Slovenia. “This facility suits me, ski flying is always something special,” said the veteran, who had finished in the top ten nine times since 2015. But he still lacks a place on the podium. In 2016 and 2021 Hayböck was fourth in Planica.