Image: GEPA pictures/ Thomas Bachun (GEPA pictures)
The 30-year-old from Salzburg landed in third place after flights of 222 and 225.5 m in front of 15,000 fans, exactly nine points behind the winner Timi Zajc. Zajc’s Slovenian compatriot Peter Prevc, who is ending his active career after this season, came in between. Kraft finished right in front of his roommate Michael Hayböck, who was 3.8 points behind Kraft.
For World Cup leader Kraft it was the 112th World Cup podium of his career. “Timi Zajc was brutally strong, we were a bit surprised by Peter Prevc that he also managed the second round so well,” Kraft admitted in the ORF interview. He and Hayböck had hoped that the double-decker room would work out. “But I’m very satisfied. I reined in my horses and it paid off,” he said about his experience of the Superteam competition. “That’s what we needed from yesterday. The day was important for self-confidence.” Nevertheless, on Sunday, in the second individual competition, the Slovenians would be difficult to beat, Kraft predicted.
Zajc celebrated his fourth World Cup victory, like everyone else before, on a ski flying hill and his third on the Heini-Klopfer ski jump in Oberstdorf.
“The second one was a dream flight”
Despite missing out on the podium, Hayböck was also very happy. “Although I’m in fourth place again. A jump on the podium would be another goal for the season.” His bad landing in the 229.5 m flight in the second round, which lifted him from sixth to fourth place, had annoyed him, but it wasn’t enough for strength, Hayböck reckoned. “Even with an optimal landing I would have been a few tenths behind. The second one was a dream flight, I would have had a lot of fun with a few more like that.”
In the overall World Cup standings, Kraft has extended his lead over the Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi (seventh on the day) to 229 points. Jan Hörl, who finished 17th on Saturday, is fourth overall, Hayböck is now fifth. The second individual competition will take place in Oberstdorf on Sunday (4 p.m./live ORF 1).
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I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
