COC: Stefan Huber and Halvor Granerud win in Iron Mountain

After snow fall and strong wind prevented Ski Jumping in Iron Mountain (USA) on Friday and Saturday, the Continental Cup in Michigan could finally start on Sunday, with both competitions being held on the same day.

Stefan Huber of Austria took the win in the first competition on the Pine Mountain. The 22-year-old from Salzburg posted jumps of 136.5 m and 132.5 m and secured his first win in the COC with 259.5 points.

Only 0.3 points behind the Austrian, Klemens Muranka of Poland came in second with his jumps of 140.5 m and 133.5 m. With Clemens Aigner, who jumped on 132.5 m in both rounds and scored a total of 258.3 points, in third another Austrian made it to the podium in this really close and exciting competition.

Nejc Dezman of Slovenia finished fourth, only 1.5 points behind the third-placed athlete. Maximilian Steiner was fifth and completed the great team result of the Austrians in the first competition of the day.

Also the Slovene presented themselves as strong as usual and, besides Dezman, they had three more jumpers among the best 10 with Miran Zupancic (6th), Jaka Hvala (7th) and Bor Pavlovcic (8th).

The ninth place went to the best German, Lukas Wagner, in only his second participation in a Continental Cup.

Shortly after the first competition, the second one was held under difficult wind conditions, which also lead to various delays.

This time the victory went to Halvor Egner Granerud of Norway, who was only 21st in today's first event. With jumps of 134 m and 131.5 m and 243.4 points he was on the podium for the first time since Engelberg in December.

Bor Pavlovcic of Slovenia, with 127 m ninth after the first round, moved up to second overall with a great jump of 134.5 m in the final and a total of 230.7 points. A few hours after his win on the Pine Mountain, Stefan Huber finished in the Top 3 again, and that although he was only tenth after the first half of the competitions with 126 m. With 134.5 m in the second round and 228.6 points he came in third.

Clemens Aigner (4th), Thomas Lackner (6th), Florian Altenburger (7th) and the leader after the first round, Maximilian Steiner (9th), achieved yet another outstanding team result of Austria.

The fifth place went to Miran Zupancic of Slovenia and with Joakim Aune, 20th after the first jump, in eighth a second Norwegian made it to the Top 10, that where completed by Nejc Dezman (SLO) at the end of a long day of competitionts.

With his 4th and 10th place on Sunday, Nejc Dezman (862 points) defended his lead in the overall ranking of the Continental Cup. Miran Zupancic (832 points) and Clemens Aigner (631 points), follow in second and third.

The COC will continue next weekend (March 4th and 5th) with two competitions in Rena (NOR).