Meanwhile there was strong wind in the ski jumping stadium in Hinzenbach, like all day long. Already the trial round had to be cancelled, but after the first round it seemed to get better. Daniela Iraschko, who showed a great jump on 96 m, was in the lead with 123.3 points. That impressed the jury and they reduced the length of the inrun before the last jumper, World Cup leader Sarah Hendrickson. The American jumped on 91.5 m, got additional 4.6 points because of the gate compensation and was only 0.7 points behind the local hero. Katja Pozun, another strong athlete from Slovenia, was third and Graessler fourth.

Photos of the competition in Hinzenbach »

Everything seemed ready for a special, history making second round, it was broadcasted live on TV, the excitement, also among the 2000 spectators, grew. Iraschko or Hendrickson, Hendrickson or Iraschko? But the final round was no highlight, it took very long. Start at 3:00 pm, and at 4:00 pm the Top 3 were still waiting for their jumps. After 27 jumpers and with Ulrike Graessler in the lead the jury had enough and cancelled the second round.

Hendrickson reacted calmly at the press conference. "My coach told me that the wind was really too strong and the jury will know what they are doing. So I have to live with the cancellation of the final round." And concerning the overall ranking: "The second place is still nice, and important. I want to stay on top in the World Cup."

But - you almost want to say, for a change - Hendrickson was not the center of attention. Iraschko gave one interview after the other and answered questions about the home ground advantage, overall World Cup and her pink hair color. "It's an incredible feeling to win in front of the home crowd, to hear the national anthem. Of course the conditions were difficult today and so it's sad that the competition could not end they way it should. But I'm happy now, the victory is also important for the overall World Cup." And concerning the hair color - the Austrian newspaper "Kurier" wrote on Saturday: The more important the event, the more colorful the hair style.

Also Katja Pozun was satisfied. "I never thought that I will be on the podium here". And so Ulrike Graessler, who missed the podium by only 1.8 points, might be the first athlete who is not satisfied. But she's not. "Tomorrow there's another day", she said. Also others will think this way. Coline Mattel was only 33rd and could watch the final round while others had to stay outdoors with 12 degrees below zero. And with these temperatures the honor to stand in the leader's box is not that much fun ...

Complete results as pdf-file

Tags:  skijumping| damen weltcup | hinzenbach | iraschko

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