Newcomer soars to Four Hills Triumph

Austria's Thomas Diehart had only taken part in four World Cup ski jumping events before Christmas. But it was the 4th and 6th place in the Englebert rounds just days before that would have alerted others to his potential.

However, since he has gone on a remarkable run. On the 29th December he lined up for his first appearance in a Four Hills event. In the first round he jumped 139m the same distance as Simon Ammann SWI, for the second longest distance of the round, in the second round he equalled the distance as his countryman Thomas Morgenstern 134.5m. His style marks weren't the best but with the top 5 only divided by 5.1 points overall he slotted in at equal 3rd claiming his first World Cup podium, behind Ammann.

New Year's Day saw him soar out beyond everyone else his 141m in round 1 was 2 metres further than Morgenstern and a full 7.5 metres further than Ammann. In round 2 he cleared 140.5m in what was to be the only time someone jumped 140 in both rounds of any hill, this was 1.5m further than both Morgernstern and Amman, giving him 9 points more than his compatriot and almost 17 more than Amman.

Saturday saw the weather foreshortened Innsburck hill which was cut short after the first round. Diehart was in 5th after that having jumped a mere 126.5m but everyone was shorter as a result of the weather. Only Ammann of him main rival was able to gain any ground on him overtaking Morgenstern to go second in the standings as a result of his second place leap but he only pulled back 3.6 points leaving the 21-year-old Austrian with an eleven point lead with just one round to go the following day.

Bischofshofen yesterday saw the final round of the 62nd Four Hills Tournament to end just over a week of exceptional jumping (bar the one weather affected hill). Peter Prevc of Slovenia jumped furthest in the first round 139.5m but Diehart was second with 138.5. Then in the seventh and final round of this year's Four Hills he jumped another 140m jump, only Morgenstern was able to surpass that, but by a margin of 1.7points the younger Austrian had recorded his second World Cup win of the week and his life to secure the Four Hills title by a margin of 18.3 points from Morgenstern and 20.2 over Ammann.

Result

1. Thomas Diehart AUT
297.3 (3) +  296.1 (1) + 122.7 (5) + 296.5 (1) = 1012.6
2. Thomas Morgenstern AUT
296.8 (5) + 285.1 (2) + 118.8 (8) + 293.6 (3) = 994.3
3. Simon Ammann SWI
301.9 (1) + 278.5 (3) + 126.3 (2) + 285.7 (4) = 992.4
4. Peter Prevc SLV
297.3 (3) + 257.1 (18) + 122.1 (6) + 294.8 (2) = 971.3
5. Noriaki Kasai JAP
294.5 (6) + 265.3 (6) + 121.3 (7) + 281.0 (5) = 962.1
6. Anders Bardel NOR
297.9 (2) + 260.6 (13) + 113.7 (14) + 278.4 (6) = 950.6

Koivuranta creates history in a weather shortened Four Hills win

Anssi Koivuranta started his career as a Nordic Combined competitor and indeed was rather good at it. He won the 2008-9 world cup in the discipline. At the 2006 Olympics he was part of the Finish Nordic Combined team that picked up a bronze medal, upgraded to gold at the following year's world championships. That year he also secured an individual Nordic combined bronze medal at those same world championships. However, he always was far superior in his ski jumping and was always working at improving his cross-country skiing in order to not lose all of his advantage. So from 2011 he has focused only on trying to get into the Finnish ski jumping team.

Well events today may well suggest that he has arrived.

Yesterday there were fears about the weather affecting today's third round of the Four Hills tournament. However, the weather didn't close in until all the competitors had fortunately completed their first round. At the end of that round Koivuranta had jumped 132.5m the second longest of the day 1m down on Simon Ammann SWI, but with 127.5 points to 126.3 he was ahead on points.

The result which saw Polish tour leader Kamil Stoch complete the podium made history as the first occasion that someone had been on the podium in a World Cup ski jumping and Nordic combined event during their career. Ammann himself was making a little bit of history with his third podium of this years four hills he joins five others who have secured three or more wins in the fours hills in at least three sessions.

Koivuarnata's previous individual best in a World Cup ski jumping event had been in 2011 at Lillehammer where he came 7th. It is his second top ten finish in this year's Four Hills having come 10th at Garmisch-Partenkirchen on New Year's Day.

Takanashi is beatable in day of two hills

Ski jumping was occurring on two hills today, firstly the women's world cup was travelling to Russia and Chaikovsky, while the men this evening take on the third of the traditional festive Four Hills at Innsbruck, Austria.

Takanashi in action

Entering this fifth event of the women's season Japan's Sara Takanashi had been unbeaten, including in the first event on this hill yesterday. However, today it was the home favourite Irina Avvakumova who not only managed to secure the first defeat of Takanashi all season but also her first win and that on home snow. In the first round she jumped 100m the same distance as first round leader France's Caroline Mattel, but the Frenchwoman had the edge on style marks, but a disappointing 97m on her second jump saw her drop to 5th.

Avvakumova meanwhile leapt to 101.5 in the second round for a total of 249.2 points it was enough to secure the win, while Carina Vogt how had come second to Takanashi yesterday found herself there again with 101m and 99.5m for a total of 244.9 points.

World Cup leader very nearly failed to make the podium, she jumped 98.5m in each round which was only the 5th longest in the first round was good enough for 3rd farthest in the second. But German Katrina Althaus with only 97m in each round almost overtook the Japanese jumper on points due to superior style marks. Takanashi had 243.1 to Althaus on 243.0.

More on the men's competition later.

Today in Sport 4th January 2014

Today there are 200 days until the start of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The FIS Cross Country Skiing Tour de Ski travels to Val de Fiemme for the weekend. Today it is the men's 10km followed by the women's 5km. Russia's Nikita Kriukov is currently leading the men's sprint rankings and Germany's Denise Herrmann leads the ladies.

In ski jumping the men move to Innsbruck for the third competition in this year's Four Hills Competition. Thomas Diethart of Austria is currently leading the competition but didn't lead qualification, that honour went to Swiss jumper Thomas Fannamel. The women meanwhile are preparing for their debut at next month's Winter Olympics with a trip to another Russian hill at Chaikovsky. Sara Takanashiof Japan won the first of two events there this week yesterday, she has won all four of the events so far and has maximum points on the women's world cup tour. Behind her the competition is between Daniela Iraschko (AUT), Carina Vogt (GER) and Irina Avvakumova (RUS).

Today in Freestyle skiing the women are taking on the Moguls in Calgary.

In Winterberg Germany the 4 men bob (heat 2) and women's skeleton (heat 1 and heat 2)are taking place. Current leader of the 4-man bob world cup is Steven Holcomb USA, from Max Arndt GER, Chris Spring CAN and Alexander Kasjanov RUS. While in the women's skeleton Liz Yarnold GBR leads from her compatriot Shelly Rudman then Anja Huber GER and Noelle Pikus-Pierce USA.

Meanwhile athletics in the form of Cross Country comes to Northern Ireland with the Antrim IAAF International event. The men's field is headed by World Champion Japhet Korir KEN, he will face tough competition from his countryman Emmanuel Bett and Ugandan Thomas Ayeko. In the women's race Ireland's Fionnula Britton is looking to defend her title against opposition that included Gemma Steel GBR and Bahrain two time 1500m world champion Maryam Jamal.

Today in sport 1 January 2014

Today see's the second of this season's Four Hills Ski jumping events taking place at Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Ammann delighted to be winning again

In the first of the Four Hills at Obertsdorf, Germany on the 29th December Simon Ammann of Switzerland took the win jumping 139m in the first round and 133m in the second and a points score of 301.9. Although this is his third career win in a Four Hills event it is his first World Cup win since 2011. It could be a sign that the 32 year double Olympic Champion from 2002 and 2010, nicknamed Harry Potter,  is coming into form just in time in Olympic year once more.

In second on Saturday was Norway's Anders with leaps of 133 and 133.5m for a total of 297.9, followed by a tie for third between Peter Pevc of Slovenia and Thomas Diethart of Austria both on 297.3 points. Last season's tour champion Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer only managed 9th and will be looking to improve today.

Østberg recording her first win yesterday

In cross country skiing today the tour heads to Lenzerheide, Switzerland where the women's 10km and men's 15km will take part today. Although Marit Bjørgen of Norway had been leading the women's world cup standings but in a shock announcement this morning announced that she was withdrawing from the Tour saying "when my shape is not good enough to fight for the victory in the Tour de Ski, it is more important for me to focus on the Olympics putting all my efforts in for the Sochi Games." The team doctor has announced that she is suffering from a viral infection.

Today's races come after the sprint events saw the Tour de Ski come to Lenzerheide for the first first time. In the women's sprint Ingvild Flugstad Østberg of Norway recorded her first win in a World Cup event, in second had been Bjørgen and in the men's event it was a similar first time win for USA's Simeon Hamilton.