Hopes were high for the Norwegian ski jumping team at this week’s annual Hoppuka (Four Hills Tournament) in the alps, but they went home disappointed. Anders Jacobsen’s jumps were the best among them, but not good enough to win.
Austrian jumpers prevailed in the competition, with Jacobsen landing in fifth place when the World Cup tournament ended Tuesday night. The finals were a thriller between Austria’s Michael Hayböck and Stefan Kraft, with Kraft winning and continuing seven years of Austrian domination.
Jacobsen won in 2007 and was keen on making a comeback. The week started well with a win in Oberstdorf and he also jumped well in later events, fending off official criticism of his skijumping suit that was claimed to give him an advantage. He ended up with jumps of 130 and 136 meters on Tuesday, but didn’t have enough accumulated points, at 270.6, to beat the Austrians.
Anders Fannemæl was Norway’s next-best ski jumper, finishing 9th, followed by Daniel Tande in 14th place. Rune Velta was 18th, while team veteran Anders Bardal was disappointed with his own performance, ending with 226.3 points in 22nd place. Phillip Sjøen was 38th and Johann Forfang 43rd.
newsinenglish.no staff
