Stefan Kraft before the historic Epiphany competition: Who will be the winner?

Stefan Kraft before the historic Epiphany competition: Who will be the winner?

Stefan Kraft is setting an impressive example in the 2024/25 Four Hills Tournament! The Austrian ski jumper secured first place in the final qualifying competition in Bischofshofen and is therefore well prepared for the final competition on Monday. With a jump of an impressive 142 meters, the 31-year-old left his competitors behind, including his compatriot Maximilian Ortner and the Swiss Gregor Deschwanden, as chiemgau24.de reported.

Kraft leads by just 1.3 points over his direct pursuers, Jan Hörl and Daniel Tschofenig, who both weakened in qualifying and only finished fourth and sixth. The tension surrounding the overall win remains high because the gaps are extremely small. The duel between Kraft and Tschofenig, the leader of the overall World Cup, who goes into the final competition with a strong performance as a young, defeated challenger, will be particularly exciting. Kraft, who was the last Austrian to win the Golden Eagle ten years ago, has already proven his skills in the previous competitions on the tour and could now become a celebrated winner again, reports today.at.

Eggnog tradition after the victory

The Kraft team has a very special tradition: After every victory, we toast with homemade eggnog! His colleague Michael Hayböck revealed this sweet anecdote after Kraft's confident qualification. “Whenever there is a victory – and this happens often for him – you have to toast with homemade eggnog,” explained Hayböck, who is sure that this tradition could bring him joy again after the Epiphany competition.

The qualification went less well for the German team, with Andreas Wellinger as the best jumper in ninth place. Pius Paschke slipped back to sixth in the overall standings, so the support from the German fans will continue to be directed towards the celebrating team from Austria. The big finale will be decided on Monday in Bischofshofen and the best jumpers can expect exciting competitions!