Ski jumping: Althaus flies into the yellow jersey with double victory

Ski jumper Katharina Althaus has had a dream start into the Olympic winter with a double victory in Lillehammer. On Sunday, the 21-year-old celebrated her third World Cup victory of her career on the big Olympic hill in 1994, one day before she had already won from the small town of Bakken. For the first time in her career, she took the lead in the overall World Cup.

“I’m overjoyed. This was a really good weekend for me here in Norway,”said Althaus, who won on Sunday after flights at 138.5 and 139.5 m with 308.2 points clearly ahead of the Norwegian Maren Lundby (284.3) and third place went to the Japanese Sara Takanashi (275.8).

Olympic champion Carina Vogt (Degenfeld) as sixth and Svenja Würth (Baiersbronn) as seventh rounded off the strong German result.

With now three World Cup victories, Althaus outstripped even Vogt. The Swabian has won the Olympic gold medal in 2014 and has already won four world championship titles, but so far she has only won twice in the World Cup. In the overall World Cup, Althaus leads with 280 points ahead of Lundby (260) and Takanashi (160).

On Saturday Althaus had already won on the neighbouring normal hill, with jumps on 98.5 and 93.0 m and 271.7 points she landed ahead of Lundby (267.3) and the Japanese Yuki Ito (249.2).

Only the 30 best jumpers were allowed to compete on the big Olympic hill from 1994, the next World Cup will take place in Oslo in March “The big hill is the last bastion missing. And then it’s only a matter of time before we have to fight for the title there,”said national coach Andreas Bauer before the season.

In the World Cup there will be a break next weekend, before the 16th/17th race. December in Hinterzarten/Black Forest.