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Prevc wins final qualification of the Four Hills Tournament
The overall favourite once again finished first in the qualification round in Bischofshofen. Wearing the yellow bib, Domen Prevc won the qualifying round ahead of three Austrians in the top five and Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi.
The Four Hills Tournament is heading into its final stage. Ahead of the last competition at the Paul Ausserleitner Hill, the athletes had to compete in the qualification round on Monday evening. In freezing temperatures below zero, the focus in Bischofshofen was on securing good positions for the final K.O. duels.
Once again, Domen Prevc set the benchmark. The Slovenian won the qualification convincingly with a jump of 140 meters. With a total of 159.2 points, the overall leader of the tournament clearly came out on top and underlined his excellent form.
Behind him, Austria’s Stephan Embacher finished second with a jump of 138 meters and 153 points, followed by his teammate Jan Hörl in third place with 137 meters and 149.9 points.
Daniel Tschofenig ranked fourth with 133.5 meters, ahead of Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi, who reached 134 meters and scored 145.8 points. The top ten was completed by Philipp Raimund, Halvor Egner Granerud, a shared eighth place for Isak Andreas Langmo and Ren Nikaido, as well as Jonas Schuster.
After finishing inside the top ten, Jonas Schuster shared his thoughts on the hill: “I really like this hill. I’ve had many good experiences here. I like the rhythm – it’s long and straight, almost like an imitation, and that suits me well. It makes things a bit easier for me, which is why I always enjoy jumping here. Today it worked out well again.”
Another notable performance came from Poland’s Kamil Stoch, who will end his career after this season. Stoch finished 18th in the qualification and will face his teammate and former Four Hills Tournament winner Dawid Kubacki in what will be his final knockout duel at the tournament.
Looking at the overall standings, Domen Prevc heads into the final competition with a comfortable lead. Although he narrowly missed out on victory in Innsbruck on Sunday, finishing behind Japan’s Ren Nikaido, the Slovenian remains clearly in front. His advantage stands at 41.4 points, which equals roughly 23 meters.