Ski flying: Huber won in Vikersund, Kraft Raw Air Champion

After the 30-year-old from Salzburg’s ÖSV double victory in the first Vikersund competition in the morning ahead of Daniel Huber, the result turned around in the grand finale with three rounds and Huber won with strength. Kraft now has 13 wins this season.

The Austrians clearly left their mark on ski flying in Vikersund. The last raw air competition in the afternoon was held in three rounds (first top 30, then top 20 and top ten). After the quadruple victory in Trondheim, Kraft and Huber ensured a double ÖSV victory in one day.

“Hubsi couldn’t be beat”

“I’m very happy. The Hubsi couldn’t be beaten now. I’m very relieved, it was a really cool day,” said Kraft, who won the third big ball on Sunday, the third overall victory in the Raw Air (and with it 40,000 euros in additional prize money) and secured the 13th win of the season.

• Read more: Kraft secured his third overall World Cup victory in the first Vikersund competition

“The Raw Air was already more strenuous because we even had three days of rest, but it was much more strenuous for the head. Kobayashi and Wellinger were on my mind a lot. I wasn’t the most relaxed Stefan, but I was able to enjoy it now,” summed up a happy Kraft.

Huber, who celebrated his second World Cup victory after taking second place in the morning (only one round) after many setbacks and injuries, was also happy. “Sensational, especially with three flights it’s worth even more,” he said when asked that he has now even left his good friend Kraft behind. “It was a perfect day for the two of us. My second World Cup victory and second place and a third place in the Raw Air with one jump less – that’s not bad either,” Huber alluded to Oslo.

A week ago he was allowed to start as raw air leader in very poor conditions and missed round two. “I don’t have any problems with it at all, if I had gotten a second jump I would probably have come second,” he told ORF.

“It was very nerve-wracking for a long time”

The ski flying world champion summed up his most successful season to date: “A perfect start with four wins in a row. It was a three-way battle for a long time, very nerve-wracking. I slept less a few times because Ryoyu was in my dreams,” he admitted and laughed . “This is my best season so far.”

Kraft showed nerves of steel on Sunday morning to secure his overall World Cup triumph. He was the last to leave the Bakken and immediately in front of him it was shortened again to Luke 10. The athletes in front of him had not flown all the way down after a shortening after Huber’s giant set.

Kraft is only ten wins behind Schlierenzauer in the leaderboard

Kraft, who simply had to stay ahead of his last remaining pursuer, Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN), in order to secure the overall World Cup in the first Sunday competition, did not allow himself to be irritated and sailed to his 13th victory of the season. In the all-time best ranking he is now only ten wins behind Gregor Schlierenzauer and three behind second-placed Finn Matti Nykänen.

For Kraft it is the third big ball after 2016/17 and 2019/20. Like Andreas Goldberger, he is a three-time overall winner, only Nykänen and Adam Malysz (POL) have won more times with four wins each. After many setbacks, Huber was also able to celebrate not only a new personal best (247.5 m in the first competition), but also his first two podium places this season.

Now it’s off to Planica for the season finale, which Kraft in particular can take easy after the tensions of the past few weeks. He has already secured the third overall World Cup ball in Norway, where he set the ski flying world record seven years ago.