Kristjan Ilves stars in Hakuba PCR

After a series of good training and competition jumps, Estonia’s Kristjan Ilves played the starring role the Provisional Competition Round in Hakuba. With 131.5 metres and a good telemark, Ilves collected 125.8 points. Should the PCR have to be used in case of adverse weather conditions, Ilves would get a 12-second head start on runner-up, local hero Akito Watabe (129 m; 122.7 p.).

Jan Schmid did not let up and held the third place with 130 metres (121.7 p.) which would mean a time behind of 16 seconds. Schmid’s teammates Harald Johnas Riiber and Sindre Ure Søtvik showed their class on the jumping hill with jumps of 125.5 and 132.5 metres, which meant ranks four and five, +0:16 and +0:27. With Hisaki Nagamine, Go Yamamoto, Taihei Kato andn Yoshito Watabe on positions six, seven, nine and ten, Team Japan had five athletes in the Top Ten in the PCR. Only Czech Tomas Portyk was able to break into their group on rank eight.

As their are less than 50 athletes on start here, the PCR does not count as a qualification at the same time. Austria’s Christian Deuschl was disqualified because he did not leave the start bar during the green phase.