Ski-jumping: Prevc wins 2nd World Cup title
Fellow Slovenian Jernej Damjan finished second on 277 points with jumps of 135.5 metres.
SAPPORO (AFP) - Slovenia s Peter Prevc soared to the second ski-jumping World Cup title of his career Saturday by dominating a diluted field to surge up the Olympic season s leaderboard.
The 21-year-old, who won his first-ever individual World Cup two weeks ago at Tauplitz, Austria, leapt 137 metres and 134.5 metres to collect a total of 294.6 points on the Okurayama hill in Sapporo, northern Japan.
Each of his jumps were the longest in their rounds in the night s event.
Fellow Slovenian Jernej Damjan finished second on 277 points with jumps of 135.5 metres and 129 metres and Japan s 41-year-old Noriaki Kasai came in third on 272.1 points after jumping 132.5 metres and 129 metres.
"The wind didn t change much and that s special here in Sapporo," the Slovenian winner said.
"I made really good jumps, maybe the second one was even better than the first. I m really satisfied today."
With eight of the top 10 athletes on the World Cup tour shunning long travel in order to peak for next month s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Prevc took over the overall lead with 732 points.
His performance pushed back absentees Poland s Kamil Stoch into second spot on 721 points and Austrian Gregor Schlierenzauer into third place on 670.
"I know that many think I m now a favourite for Sochi and that puts more pressure on me. I have to use this pressure in my favour and be more focused on my jumping and more motivated in training," Prevc said.
Results:
1. Peter Prevc (SLO) 294.6 pts (137-134.5m),
2. Jernej Damjan (SLO) 277 (135.5-129)
3. Noriaki Kasai (JPN) 272.1 (132.5-129)
4. Robert Kranjec (SLO) 266.9 (128-132.5)
5. Daiki Ito (JPN) 261.2 (127.5-127.5)
6. Andreas Kofler (AUT) 260.5 (132-122)
7. Nejc Dezman (SLO) 255.6 (137-120.5)
8. Jan Matura (CZE) 254.3 (127.5-125.5)
Tied: Michael Neumayer (GER) 254.3 (130-126.5), Markus Eisenbichler (GER) 254.3 (134-127)
World Cup standings (after 18 of 28 rounds):
1. Peter Prevc (SLO) 732 pts
2. Kamil Stoch (POL) 721
3. Gregor Schlierenzauer (AUT) 670
4. Simon Ammann (SUI) 608
5. Noriaki Kasai (JPN) 606
6. Anders Bardal (NOR) 598
