OPA: Dagn and Vaxelaire win in Kandersteg

The first dress rehearsal for the FIS Junior World Championships in Kandersteg were on schedule on the past weekend when the OPA Alpencup made its first stop of the new season in the Swiss venue. The two winners of the weekend were Austria’s Florian Dagn and Frenchman Lilian Vaxelaire.

Simon Hüttel of the German team lived up to his name as a superb jumper and won the jumping competitions on the HS 106 hill on both days. 107.5 and 107 metres meant the pole position for Hüttel, who had a head start of exaxtly 12 seconds each on runners-up Dagn (105.5 metres) and Lilian Vaxelaire (105.5 m) on both days.

In both races, Hüttel wasn’t able to keep his closest pursuer off his back, be that Saturday's "normal" 5 km event of Sunday's 4.3 km mountain race with 267 m of height difference.

Florian Dagn reached the finish line 7.6 seconds before Hüttel on Saturday and 8.5 seconds separated Hüttel from Sunday’s winner Lilian Vaxelaire. With two second places, however, Hüttel took the yellow leader bib with 160 points. Liliian Vaxelaire currently holds the second place (106 p.) and Florian Dagn, who did not finish the race on Sunday, follows with 100 points.

Saturday’s podium was completed by Austria’s Dominik Terzer (+0:17), ranks four till six went to Justin Moczarski (GER), Aaron Kostner (ITA) and Edgar Vallet (FRA). On Sunday, Manuel Einkemmer captured rank three (+31.5) and was followed by Kostner, Luis Lehnert (AUT) and Moczarski.