Kraft’s Near-Victory, Jury Criticism at Four Hills Tournament

austrian ski jumping star Stefan Kraft came agonizingly close to securing his second Four Hills Tournament title, only to see his hopes dashed by a combination of bad luck adn controversial judging. The 31-year-old veteran, who last won the prestigious tournament a decade ago, finished a heartbreaking third, just four points behind the victor, Daniel Tschofenig.

Kraft led after the first round, seemingly poised to claim the coveted Golden Eagle trophy. However, shifting winds forced a delay, leaving Kraft waiting on the starting ramp for an extended period. “It’s not fun to wait 15 minutes upstairs in your shoes and ski boots,” Kraft explained to Eurosport. “That’s bad for your legs, which have to be explosive—and then that explosiveness is lost,” he added, clearly frustrated.

His second jump, a respectable 137.5 meters, wasn’t enough to overcome the disadvantage caused by the delay and the subsequent judging decisions. He ultimately fell to third place a result that left him deeply disappointed. “It just wasn’t meant to be. I was really unlucky twice. It’s tough to be out of luck twice,” he lamented.

Kraft’s frustration extended beyond the wind conditions. He leveled pointed criticism at the tournament jury, stating, “The jury always does the same thing: They start too high and then get into trouble.” He further elaborated, noting that top jumpers consistently started from gates 10 or 11, while others were forced to launch from gates 13 or 14. When directly asked if he felt the conditions were fair, Kraft’s response was a blunt, “No.”

Even the overall winner, Tschofenig, expressed sympathy for Kraft’s situation. “I really feel sorry for him,” Tschofenig said. “I would have hated to stand up there and have to wait so long. I don’t know what the right decision would have been,” the 22-year-old added. “He would have deserved the gold eagle.He was one of the best here.”

The close finish, the tightest as 2006, highlighted the intense competition and the high stakes of the Four Hills Tournament. Kraft’s near-miss and his subsequent criticism of the judging process will undoubtedly fuel debate among fans and experts alike.

This article [[1]]reports that Stefan Kraft won the Four hills Tournament opener in Oberstdorf with a score of 335.1 points.



The article [[2]]reports that Stefan Kraft missed out on the overall victory in the Four Hills Tournament after a difficult last jump. He had to wait on the beam for minutes due to poor wind conditions.



This article [3] states that Stefan Kraft won the Four Hills Tournament opener in Oberstdorf. Pius paschke came in fourth.