Daniel Tschofenig comes from behind to capture his maiden Four Hills Tournament crown
The 22-year-old led an Austrian sweep of both the final leg and the overall 2024/25 Four Hills Tournament standings with his win in Bischofshofen on Monday (6 January).
Ski Jumping
Daniel Tschofenig came from behind to capture his maiden Four Hills Tournament title, spearheading an Austrian 1-2-3 on home snow in Bischofshofen on Monday (6 January).
The fourth and final round of the premier men's ski jumping competition came to a dramatic conclusion as the 22-year-old Tschofenig denied Stefan Kraft the second Golden Eagle trophy of his career.
Tschofenig produced a spectacular second-round jump of 140m metres for 159.0 points. That sent him from fifth to first with a combined winning score of 308.6 points.
Kraft, who led the Four Hills Tournament standings coming into the final leg, had one hand on the trophy after he topped both the qualification and the first round.
To add to the tension, Kraft’s final leap was delayed due to a strong headwind and the Austrian had to wait for conditions to improve.
The 31-year-old was finally cleared to make his leap which fell short of the target as he only managed a 137.5m jump, earning him the third step on the podium with a combined score of 303.2. Jan Hoerl finished second both in Bischofshofen and the overall Four Hills Tournament. Kraft finished third in the overall standings.
“It is freaking unbelievable! I really don’t know what to say. The competition came and I just knew what I needed to do,” Tschofenig told the FIS.
“I really feel sorry for him (Kraft) to be honest. I would have hated to stay up there and wait the whole time. He would have deserved to win the Golden Eagle here.”
Kraft was the early leader in this season's Four Hills Tournament, after winning the first event first leg in Oberstdorf before Tschofenig deposed him in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The musical chairs at the top of the overall standings continued in Innsbruck on Saturday (4 January) where Kraft reclaimed pole position after another Austrian podium sweep, before today's final drama.
Four Hills Tournament 2024/25: Results from Bischofshofen HS142 – 6 January 2025
Top 10:
- Daniel Tschofenig (AUT) 308.6 points
- Jan Hoerl (AUT) 306.5 (-2.1)
- Stefan Kraft (AUT) 303.2 (-5.4)
- Johann Andre Forfang (NOR) 301.7 (-6.9)
- Maximilian Ortner (AUT) 300.0 (-8.6)
- Benjamin Oestvold (NOR) 298.2 (-10.4)
- Michael Hayboeck (AUT) 296.9 (-11.7)
- Pawel Wasek (POL) 294.1 (-14.5)
- Andreas Wellinger (GER) 290.9 (-17.7)
- Nikaido Ren (JPN) 289.9 (-18.7)