COC men: Schiffner and Kraus conquer Lillehammer!

COC men: Schiffner and Kraus conquer Lillehammer

16/09/2013 10:11

Photo credits Kathrin Müller © Skijumpingitaly

It's intresting to notice how, despite the presence of many first level athletes, young talents are often able to steal the show in Continental Cup competitions, as it happened this weekend in Lillehammer.

On Saturday the Austrian Markus Schiffner won a tight race ahead of Marinus Kraus, who was leading after the first jump. Schiffner managed to close a 3.5 points gap and ended first, while Kraus kept behind the home idol Frederik Bjerkeengen.Fourth place went to Peter Prevc ahead of another norwegian, Phillip Sjoeen. Michael Hayboeck took the sixth position, followed by Anze Lanisek, Marco Grigoli, Thomas Diethart and Jan Matura.Norway put seven other athletes in the top-30: Vegard Swensen was 11th, Robert Johansson, Simen Grimsrud and Johan Martin Brandt from 14th to 16th, Joachim Hauer 18th, Espen Enger Halvorsen 22nd and Jan Fuhre 26th.

On Sunday Kraus took his vengeance in a "one round only" competition and closed ahead of Martin Koch and the seventeen years old Anze Lanisek. The first home athletes were Ole Marius Ingvaldsen (4th) and Robert Johansson (7th), with Marco Grigoli and Michael Hayboeck between them. Tomaz Naglic, Thomas Diethart and Jan Matura close the top-10. A good performance gave the eleventh position to the american Nicholas Fairall while the winner of the first race, Markus Schiffner, was only 19th.

Kraus took 180 points and the second position, overtaking four athletes in the general standings. Now the overall sees Jakub Janda still ahead while Krzysztof Biegun goes down to third place (the two of them were competing in the Summer Grand Prix this weekend and gained no points for the COC).

• by Edoardo Vercellesi (@edoverce97)