Marius Lindvik wins nail-biter in Zakopane
Jan 17, 2021·Ski Jumping
Norway's Marius Lindvik won the second Ski Jumping World Cup in Zakopane on Sunday evening. In a great and extremely exciting final, the 22-year-old finished just ahead of Slovenia's Anze Lanisek and his teammate Robert Johansson.
Lindvik was second behind Lanisek after the first round, but he raised the pressure on the Slovene with his final jump of 145.5 m. Lanisek then had a strong jump of 143.5 m, but he lost some valuable points at the landing and so he closely missed his first-ever World Cup win today.
For Lindvik, this was the third World cup win, the first this winter. "Today my jumps were really good and I am happy with this competition and the whole weekend as well. Our team is very strong, everyone is able to jump on a high level. Now I would like to keep that level for the upcoming competitions", said Lindvik, who was forced to take a break during the 4-Hills-Tournament due to a jaw surgery but obviously recovered very well from that.
Anze Lanisek once again proved today, that he currently is the best of the Slovenian team. "Today I was jumping on a significantly higher level than yesterday. I was able to be on the podium again, but I am much happier about the good jumps. Now I have to concentrate and try to keep the good level for the rest of the season", Lanisek said after the competition.
Daniel Huber, the best Austrian today, closely missed the podium in fourth, Andrzej Stekala was the best of the Polish team in fifth and once again showed the great shape he is currently in.
The two Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi and Yukiya Sato were sixth and seventh and came in ahead of the best German, Markus Eisenbichler, who finished eighth.
Italy's Alex Insam was 30th and could finally score his first World Cup points this season. Insam has been struggling with his shape for weeks, this World Cup point might be additional motivation for Insam.
Norway's Halvor Egner Granerud (23rd today) still leads the World Cup with 956 points, followed by Markus Eisenbichler in second (716 points).
The Ski Jumping World Cup continues next weekend with a team and an individual competition in Lahti (FIN).
