‘I just love this hill’: Zajc victorious in first Ski Flying World Cup of the season
Jan 25, 2025·Ski Jumping
Timi Zajc (SLO) won the first Ski Flying World Cup of the 2024/25 season as he topped the podium in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Saturday. It was his career-fifth Ski Flying World Cup victory and his fourth win on the Oberstdorf hill.
The 24-year-old landed a total of 453.7 points to finish 5.1 points clear of Johann Andre Forfang (NOR), who led the standings after the first round. Domen Prevc (SLO) finished in third with 444.9 points.
Zajc secured Slovenia's first win of the 2024/25 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season thanks to a superb second jump.
Zajc and Oberstdorf: a love story
“I have my fourth win here (in Oberstdorf), so it’s amazing for me”, Zajc said afterward. “I really just love this hill. I had my first-ever (World Cup) win in Oberstdorf, too, and I just like it here.”
"Since I've been competing in Oberstdorf, I've won once every year. The first jump was quite challenging, but in the second I managed to attack."
“Today, the second jump was perfect for me. I did a good landing and got good points”, Zajc added. “I hope for one more podium (finish) tomorrow.”
The second jump was indeed where Zajc made the difference. The Slovenian came from behind after the first round to secure the win.
Johann Andre Forfang (NOR) led the way at the halfway point after a strong first outing (227.6) had given him a 1.9-point lead over Zajc.
“I feel confident ahead of the next round”, Forfang said after his first jump. “It was a good jump. For sure, it (the final) will be exciting”, he added.
Zajc proved just that as he set the standard with a superb second jump (228.0 points) to finish with a total of 453.7 points, a score Forfang did not manage to beat.
Forfang did record the furthest jump of the day (235.0 points), however, but his form and style were not quite good enough to surpass Zajc.
A difference of 5.1 points eventually separated the Zajc and Forfang, while Domen Prevc (SLO) completed the podium (444.9).
Austria misses out on the podium for the first time this season
Current World Cup leader Daniel Tschofenig (AUT), who sat in third after the first round, came 0.8 points short for a place on the podium and finished fourth.
"Of course, it hurts to miss out on the podium by 0.8 points. You always want to be on top, but there are days like these," Tschofenig said.
It's the first time this season Austria misses out on a podium finish.
Tschofenig was the best Austrian jumper in fourth, while 2024 world Ski Flying champion Stefan Kraft was disqualified after a suit permeability.
Kobayashi back in top-10
Ryoyu Kobayashi (JPN) returned to the top-10 for the first time this season as he landed in fifth. Kobayashi sat in seventh place after the first round and managed to move up two more places with his second jump.
Also noteworthy was his teammate Naoki Nakamura (JPN)'s result, who finished ninth. Nakamura especially impressed the crowd with his first jump, recording a distance of 226.5 meters, finishing among the furthest jumps of the day.
Next up…
Competition in Oberstdorf, Germany, continues with one more Ski Flying event on Sunday for the men.
While the men compete in Germany this weekend, the women settled down in Zao, Japan, with three competitions lined up. The first competition, the individual event on Friday, was won by Nika Prevc (SLO). The Slovenian also took the lead in the overall standings and now has a seven-point advantage over Germany’s Katharina Schmid. Another individual competition in Zao is scheduled for Sunday.
Germany’s Selina Freitag and Agnes Reisch claimed victory in the Women’s Super Team event on Saturday.
