COC-M: Aleksander Zniszczol and Simon Ammann win in Innsbruck
Jan 16, 2021·Ski Jumping
Due to the bad weather forecast for Sunday, the schedule of the Continental Cup in Innsbruck (AUT) was changed and both competitions there were already held on Saturday.
The first competition was won by Aleksander Zniszczol of Poland with 128 m and 127 m and a total of 259.5 points. This was already the eighth win in the Continental Cup for the 26-year-old.
The second place went to Norway's Anders Haare, with jumps of 126.5 m and 125.5 m that earned him 248.5 points. The leader after the first round, local hero Niklas Bachlinger, came in third with 129.5 m and 125 m and 246.8 points. It was his first podium in only his sixth COC competition.
Only 0.2 points behind his teammate, Markus Schiffner came in fourth. Besides Bachlinger and Schiffner, also Manuel Fettner, Ulrich Wohlgenannt and Clemens Leitner provided for a strong team result of the hosts in seventh, ninth, and tenth.
Best Slovene in the first event of the day was Lovro Kos in fifth, Maciej Kot of Poland followed in sixth, Japan's Naoki Nakamura finished eighth.
In the second competition of the day only a short while later, Simon Ammann could celebrate a success in a so far difficult season for him. After he was eleventh in today's first competition, the 39-year-old four-time Olympic champion claimed his second win in the Continental Cup this afternoon with 125.5 m and 124.5 m and 255.3 points.
Young Austrian Niklas Bachlinger confirmed his strong performance from earlier today with jumps of 123 m and 124.5 m (253.6 points) and the second place. Lovro Kos also presented himself in very good shape once again and finished third with 125.5 m and 122 m and 243.4 points.
Austrian veteran Manuel Fettner was fourth this time, Philipp Raimund of Germany could move up from 12th to fifth in the second round. The sixth place went to Markus Schiffner of Austria, followed by the winner of the first competition, Aleksander Zniszczol. Ulrich Wohlgenannt of Austria (8th), Benjamin Oestvold of Norway (9th), and Ukraine's Vitaliy Kalinichenko (10th) completed the Top 10.
Simon Ammann was not the only Olympic champion competing in Innsbruck today, but for Andreas Wellinger it was a disappointing day. The German was only 50th and 42nd and could not make the cut for the final round in either of the two competitions.
In the overall ranking of the COC, Stefan Rainer is in the lead with 303 points, followed by Jan Hoerl (260 points), and Jakub Wolny (259 points).
The next competitions of the Continental Cup will be held in Willingen (GER) in early February.
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