Ski jumper Eisenbichler just missed third individual victory: "Second is also great"

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In top shape again?

Markus Eisenbichler in Finland

Photo: 

GEPA pictures / Christian Walgram / imago images / GEPA pictures

Ski jumping world champion Markus Eisenbichler just missed his third win in the third competition of the season.

Despite a clear lead after the first round, the 29-year-old had to be content with second place in Kuusamo, Finland, behind Norwegian Halvor Egner Granerud, who celebrated his first World Cup victory.

However, Eisenbichler, who had won on Saturday, had very difficult wind conditions in the second round.

He extended his lead in the overall World Cup with flights to 141 and 131 meters.

Third place went to the Polish tour winner Dawid Kubacki, just like the day before.

"Second is great too," shouted Eisenbichler, who had distanced all rivals by more than ten meters on Saturday and had already shown his class.

Karl Geiger (8th) also proved his good form again, Severin Freund finished ninth.

So far, only Martin Schmitt had been the only German jumper to win the first three competitions of a season in 1998/99.

Two weeks before the Ski Flying World Championships in Planica, Slovenia, there is no reason for national coach Stefan Horngacher and his athletes to worry about sport.

In Ruka, however, there were also some strong competitors missing.

Due to corona cases, the Austrians had started with a B team and, among others, without overall World Cup winner Stefan Kraft.

At the weekend it became known that Kraft himself was infected and could return to the Ski Flying World Championships at the earliest.

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ngo / dpa