Gregor Deschwanden undoubtedly saw his dreams of final victory in the Four Hills Tour shattered in Innsbruck. But the Lucernois, 4th on Saturday, retained his 4th place in the general classification. He has a margin of 10.8 points over 5th Johann Andre Forfang before the last competition scheduled for Monday in Bischofshofen.
Sixth in Oberstdorf at the start of this Tour and especially 2nd in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on January 1st, Gregor Deschwanden delivered another top performance. He could even have done better if the weather conditions had not been so unfavorable to him in the first round.
The Lucernois, 10th after a first jump measured at 126 meters, rectified the situation perfectly by landing at 129 meters in the final. He actually clenched his fist just after landing. But his good comeback should not, barring an accident, be enough to eye the final podium of the Tour.
Fourth after the two German competitions, 13.6 points behind the lead, Deschwanden is now 23.8 points behind new leader Stefan Kraft. Already winner in Oberstdorf, Kraft took power by winning in Innsbruck thanks to a second takeoff at 132.5 meters.
The Austrian “Wunderteam” also continued its momentum. Already authors of a hat-trick in Oberstdorf – and in Engelberg a few days earlier, the Eagles once again topped the debates, Kraft ahead of Jan Hörl (2nd) by 1.4 points and Daniel Tschofenig by 10 points. The 3 men are ranked in this order overall as well, with only 1.3 points separating Kraft from Tschofenig!
Peier 31e
Second Swiss in the running on the Bergisel springboard after the disqualification of Felix Trunz the day before in qualifying, Killian Peier missed his chance. The Vaudois, 12th in Oberstdorf and 30th in Garmisch, had to be content with a jump of 117.5 meters in the first round. He finished 31st.
ats/fg
Swiss