BISCHOFSHOFEN, Austria (AP) — Kamil Stoch of Poland rounded off his second straight Four Hills Tournament victory by also winning the last stop on Saturday.
The man who swept the Sochi Olympic golds became the second ski jumper to win the annual competition by triumphing at all four stages, 16 years after Germany’s Sven Hannawald completed the feat.
Hannawald, who was working at the event as a TV commentator, appeared in the finish area soon after Stoch’s winning jump and congratulated him.
“I am positively surprised, happy, and a bit tired,” said Stoch, adding that the win was a “great reward” for him.
After winning in Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck, Stoch said that the prospect of matching Hannawald’s record had not put him under extra pressure.
“It was big pressure this whole tournament, not just today. The most important was to stay focused on your job,” he said. “I just wanted to do my job, that’s all. I didn’t focus on winning. I focused on doing it right.”
The 30-year-old Stoch won both individual events at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, adding to his world title on the large hill a year before.
In 2017, he became the second Polish winner of the Four Hills Tournament after Adam Malysz took the title in 2001.
On Saturday, Stoch had jumps of 132.5 and 137 meters to finish on 275.6 points, edging Anders Fannemel of Norway by 3.2 points.
Andreas Wellinger of Germany was third with 270.5 points, and he finished runner-up to Stoch in the final Four Hills standings.
With his fourth straight World Cup win, Stoch overtook Richard Freitag atop the overall standings with 723 points, 12 clear of the German.
Freitag didn’t enter Saturday’s event having injured his left hip in a crash in Innsbruck two days ago.
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