Ski jumping: three out of three for Poland’s Stoch

With one event to go in this year’s tournament, double Olympic champion Stoch has strengthened his position as leader in the Four Hills and is now eyeing four consecutive wins.

If he pulls off that feat, he will be the first Pole and the second ski jumper ever to do so after Sven Hannawald of Germany, who won all four stops in the 2001/2002 season.

Norway’s Daniel-Andre Tande came second in Thursday’s event in Innsbruck, Austria, while Germany’s Andreas Wellinger came third.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Richard Freitag, the leader in the overall World Cup standings, fell on his first attempt in Innsbruck on Thursday, and did not take part in the second round. He was taken to hospital by ambulance for checks.

The Four Hills Tournament, which is part of the ski-jumping World Cup circuit, features four competitions taking place in Germany and Austria every year.

The final event of this year’s series takes place in Austria’s Bischofshofen on Saturday.

Stoch won last year’s Four Hills Tournament, ahead of his countryman Piotr Żyła and another Pole, Maciej Kot, in fourth place.

The 2017/2018 ski-jumping World Cup features a total of 31 competitions, including eight team events, in eight countries.

Stoch is a two-time Sochi Winter Olympics champion and the winner of the 2013/2014 World Cup.

(pk/gs)

Source: PAP