The fight for the overall World Cup

opprettet på: 02.03.2012 12:31 / km

This weekend the tradtitional Lahti Ski Games will take place, and so the season is reaching its final phase. For most of the athletes, especially the Finns in front of their home crowd, it's only about having some good competitions and end the season with a positive feeling.

Gregor Schlierenzauer

But for three jumpers there's still a really big goal left: The overall World Cup title.

Anders Bardal

And it's been while since it was as exciting as this season. The last time the best three (Jakub Janda, Janne Ahonen and Andreas Kuettel) were seperated by less than 200 points was in 2006. Now - in 2012 - there's a difference of less than 80 points between the best three. And those three will now have to show top performances.

Bardal would be third Norwegian to win

Anders Bardal (1139 points) is wearing the yellow leader's bib right now, at there a few things that will give him some extra motivation in the last competitions. The last Norwegian who won the overall World Cup was - hard to believe - Espen Bredesen in 1993/94. Apart from Bredsen only Vegard Opaas, in 1986/87, could win this title. So Bardal would be only the third Norwegian on top.

The hill n Lahti »

Bardal could not win at the season's highlights so far. He is having the best season of his career, but he wasn't in the Top 3 at the 4-Hills-Tournament or the ski flying World Championships. The victory of the overall World Cup could make up for this.

Schlierenzauer and Kofler: Different situation

His opponents are Gregor Schlierenzauer (1095 points) and Andreas Kofler (1061 points). Schlierenzauer could crown a top season with the overall World Cup title. He won the 4-Hills-Tournament and Gold with the team at the ski flying World Championships. It would be his second victory of the overall World Cup.

Just like Bardal, Kofler never ended a season wearing the yellow bib. And the situation is different for the two Austrians this time. Normally Schlierenzauer gains self-confidence in ski flying for the smaller hills. But this time it was Kofler who showed great jumps on the huge hill in Vikersund. So far he was not considered to be a very good ski flyer.

Kofler looking forward to ski flying - Schlierenzauer to smaller hills

And so it's a bit unusual that it was Schlierenzauer who said: "Now I'm looking forward to the smaller hills." And it was Kofler who told: "I gained a lot of self-confidence for the last competitions in ski flying."

There are still seven competitions left in the 2011/12 season, among them two team events. In Lahti there will be one team competition and one individual competition.

01	Huber, D.	487.7
02	Prevc, D.	444.3
03	Zniszczol, A.	438.1
04	Kraft, S.	436.4
05	Zyla, P.	424.9
Sluttresultat »

01	Kraft, S.	2149	0
02	Kobayashi, R.	1673	0
03	Wellinger, A.	1488	0
04	Hoerl, J.	1140	0
05	Prevc, P.	1071	0
Sluttresultat »

01	Østerrike	8149	0
02	Slovenia	5142	0
03	Tyskland	5022	0
04	Norge	4360	0
05	Japan	3275	0
Sluttresultat »

01	Kraft, S.	2494.7	0
02	Prevc, P.	2369.1	0
03	Huber, D.	2326.7	6
04	Zajc, T.	2281.9	3
05	Hayboeck, M.	2239.8	0
Sluttresultat »

01	Huber, D.	429	2
02	Kraft, S.	426	1
03	Prevc, P.	382	1
04	Zajc, T.	296	0
05	Prevc, D.	270	0
Sluttresultat »

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