Raw Air Tournament - Final in Vikersund

Joy and sorrow are really close in sports. To win a special tournament like the RawAir you not only need skills, you also need a bit like - in skijumping especially luck with the wind. And in today`s individual and final competition of the RawAir in Vikersund were difficult wind conditions: strong upwinds or missing upwinds, particularly in the area below of the hill. So you had to fight to fly down and catch this upwind. So, you see this small quantum luck was needed.

Today`s jinx was definetly the German Andreas Wellinger, who was in the lead of the Raw Air Tournament standings and in the lead for the day victory after the first round. But he was unlucky and had no support of the wind and landed only on 166,0 meters. Place 18th and thus the overall victory was gone. He became 3rd at the end. This situation and the result have a parallel to Tande in the final of the 4Hills. For Daniel-André was the victory of the Four Hills Tournament possible and then his left ski came off. He prevented with an acrobatic performance a fall and landed safely. But the tournee victory was gone and he became third, too. In today`s skiflying competition Tande was unlucky, too. He landed way too early on 182,0 meters and missed the final round, place 32nd (total score: 150,8 points). Just like his teammate Joacim Ødegård Bjøreng, who became 34th (first round: 192,5 meters, total score: 143,4 points).

Luck and skills had the Polish Kamil Stoch, who got himself the day victory with jumps on 238,5 meters and 237,0 meters (total score: 466,6 points). The biggest surprise on the podium today was Noriaki Kasai from Japan. He became second with jumps on 239,5 meters and 241,5 meters. The Austrian Michael Hayböck got as third (1st round: 241,5 meters, final round: 222,5 meters, total score. 430,4 points) his first skiflying podium.

For the overall standings sufficed Stefan Kraft from Austria two solid jumps on 237,5 meters and 215,0 meters to win the first RawAir Tournament (total score: 2298,1 points) ahead the Polish Kamil Stoch (total score: 2272,6 points) and Andreas Wellinger (total score: 2251,3 poinst)

Except Tande and Bjøreng the other Norwegian lads have shown really good flights. Best man was today Johann André Forfang as 4th (1st round: 242,5 meters, final round: 245,5 meters, total score: 428,7 points). Only with 1,7 points he missed the podium. Too bad! Andreas Stjernen and 33-minutes- world record-holder Robert Johansson were under the Top 10, too. Stjernen on place 9th (1st round: 227,0 meters, final round: 225,0 meters, total score: 404,4 points) and right behind him as 10th Johansson (1st round: 234,0 meters, final round: 215,0 meters, total score: 403,0 points).

Anders Fannemel also has shown a very good performance with flights on 229,0 meters and 244,0 meters. Means place 13th (total score: 392,6 points) at the end. Last but not least, Halvor Egner Granerud landed on place 21th (total score: 343,9 points) with 220,0 meters and 216,0 meters.

Now let`s have a look at the results of all Norwegian Eagles in the Raw Air Tournament standings:

4. Andreas Stjernen, 2210,1 points

6. Johann André Forfang, 2160,4 points

9. Robert Johansson, 2090,7 points

19. Daniel-André Tande, 1743,9 points

34. Anders Fannemel, 1079,8 points

38. Joakim Aune, 943,0 points

45. Halvor Egner Granerud, 887,8 points

63. Joacim Ødegård Bjøreng, 475,7 points

69. Tom Hilde, 423,7 points

79. Fredrik Bjerkeengen, 204,1 points

82. Richard Haukedal, 87,7 points

83. Sigurd Nymoen Søberg, 84,7 points

Skiflying is always very exciting and that`s why it`s great that next weekend there will be again a skiflying feast in Planica/SLO. It`s also the saison final - unfortunatealy.

full results here: http://medias3.fis-ski.com/pdf/2017/JP/3820/2017JP3820RL.pdf

Raw Air Tournament standings: http://medias1.fis-ski.com/pdf/2017/JP/3820/2017JP3820RAW.pdf

photo: berkutschi.com