Ski jumping: Friday second at Quali in Willingen

Richard Freitag (Aue) finished second in the qualification for the World Cup ski jumping competition in Willingen, Hesse.

The overall World Cup leader flew from the Mühlenkopf ski jump to 139.5 m and was only beaten by his Polish permanent rival Kamil Stoch (142.5), to whom he had taken off the yellow jersey of the World Cup top rider last Sunday in Zakopane.

Andreas Wellinger (Ruhpolding), who had won last year’s individual jumping event in Willingen, finished in twelfth place with 133.5 metres. In the competition of the best 50 on Saturday (16 o’ clock in the LIVETICKER) the Willinger local hero Stephan Leyhe as seventh with 143.0 m, Markus Eisenbichler (Siegsdorf) as eleventh with 136.0 m and Karl Geiger (Oberstdorf) as 26th. with 136.5 m.

Former junior world champion David Siegel (Baiersbronn), who had joined the team for youngster Constantin Schmid (working for the junior World Championships) was disqualified before his jump because of a suit that did not conform to the rules.

Since only 56 jumpers in total had registered for the qualification, only five more fell through the grid next to Siegel.

The result of the qualification is included in the newly created overall ranking “Willingen Five”. The jumper with the highest score after five jumps from Friday to Sunday will receive prize money of 25,000 euros.

At the Olympic dress rehearsal shortly before taking off for Pyeongchang, the top nations Germany, Norway, Poland and Slovenia will once again be in top form.

Austria and Japan are only at the start with a B-team, also the Swiss fourfold Olympic champion Simon Ammann is missing.

In Willingen, the DSV was unable to report a contingent via the so-called national group. Each nation can only fall back on these additional six jumpers for two home jumps – the DSV claimed this at the two competitions of the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

On Sunday (10.20 a. m. in the LIVETICKER) there will be another individual jumping event in Willingen, a separate qualification for this will not be held any more.