BISCHOFSHOFEN (AUSTRIA), 6 Ene. (dpa/EP) –
The Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi won his third title in the Cuatro Trampolines ski jumping competition, without having achieved any victory and having placed second for the fourth time in the final this Saturday, behind the Austrian Stefan Kraft.
The World Cup leader, Kraft, won with 136.5 and 140 meters in front of his home crowd in Bischofshofen, ahead of Kobayashi (137 and 139 meters) and the Slovenian Anze Lanisek (134.5 and 141 meters).
Kobayashi was in the lead after the first test, but did not seem to take any risks in the second, as his only rival for the title, the German Andreas Wellinger, lost ground in a modest first jump and finished fifth. The Japanese, Olympic champion in 2022, had also been second in the first three events in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck, where he had snatched the overall lead from Wellinger.
He is the first jumper in 25 years and the ninth overall to win the Cuatro Trampolines title without a partial victory in the four events held. “I'm delighted. A lot has happened today,” Kobayashi said.
Kobayashi's previous titles in the Cuatro Trampolines were in 2019, when he won all four rounds to achieve the third 'Grand Slam' in the history of the competition; and in 2022, when he won three of the four tests.
Only the Finnish Janne Ahonen, with five titles, and the German Jens Weissflog, with four, have won the prestigious event more times than Kobayashi, who has joined the German Helmut Recknagel and the Norwegian Bjorn Wirkola with three wins. Wellinger had to settle for runner-up as in 2018, and 2015 winner Kraft was third overall after losing his chances early in the event.