Ski jumping · International
Stefan Kraft wins Bischofshofen qualification before close Four Hills finale
Kraft topped the 5 January qualification with 155.4 points as Austria's three title contenders prepared for a finale separated by only 1.3 points.
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Kraft carries Innsbruck success into qualification
Stefan Kraft won the men's qualification in Bischofshofen on 5 January 2025, extending a strong weekend after his victory in Innsbruck the previous day. The Four Hills Tournament leader scored 155.4 points, comfortably ahead of Austrian teammate Maximilian Ortner on 147.2 and Switzerland's Gregor Deschwanden on 146.6. Daniel Tschofenig shared fourth with Poland's Pawel Wasek on 146.3, while Jan Hoerl finished sixth with 145.8. That order gave Kraft an encouraging result at the last venue, but it also kept both of his principal Austrian title rivals near the front. The qualification produced a clear winner for the day while leaving the tournament's decisive contest still to come. Austria occupied four of the first six positions, adding team depth to the close individual title battle.
The score sheet explains the winning margin
The official qualification table shows Kraft jumping 142.0 metres, matching Deschwanden's distance. Their equal distance scores did not produce equal totals: Kraft received 58.5 points for style, compared with 50.5 for Deschwanden, and the gate and wind adjustments also differed. Ortner reached 139.5 metres. These components explain why the longest measured jumps alone did not determine the final ranking. The table records a strong qualification for the United States' Tate Frantz, pictured at the venue during that day's programme. Frantz placed 11th with 140.9 points after a 136.5-metre jump, just three tenths behind tenth-placed Domen Prevc and ahead of Michael Hayboeck. Austria's Jonas Schuster qualified in 43rd with 117.6 points. At the cut, Andrew Urlaub claimed 50th with 111.5, only 0.8 ahead of Yevhen Marusiak, who did not qualify. The result therefore describes two different contests within one session: the leading athletes establishing their performance level and those near the boundary securing a place in the first round.
A narrow tournament lead increases the stakes
FIS's preview put Kraft on 887.1 tournament points before the finale, Hoerl on 886.5 and Tschofenig on 885.8. Only 1.3 points covered the three Austrians after Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck. The qualification was thus a useful form indicator, while the accumulated tournament totals described how little separated the title contenders. Kraft was seeking another overall title ten years after winning in 2014/15. His campaign had recovered from eighth in Garmisch with the Innsbruck victory, whereas Tschofenig had finished third, first and third across the opening three tournament events. Hoerl arrived with seven podium finishes during the season, including two runner-up results in the preceding tournament competitions. FIS also identified Deschwanden as an outside challenger, 22.5 points behind Tschofenig, so his position depended on a much larger change among the leaders. The schedule clearly separated the two days: qualification on 5 January and the World Cup competition on 6 January, both listed for a 16:30 local start. The January 5 result settled qualification and supplied a final competitive reference before the trophy was decided.
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