Vittoz, Smigun win mass start World Cups in Austria

RAMSAU, Austria - France's Vincent Vittoz and Estonia's Kristina Smigun won mass start World Cup cross-country races in heavy snowfall Saturday.

Vittoz edged Sweden's Anders Sodergren and Germany's Axel Teichmann in a mass sprint to win the men's 30-kilometer race, moving to second place in the overall standings. Teichmann leads with 472, with Vittoz at 298.

Smigun won the women's 15K race for her second victory of the season. She led by 21 seconds after 5 kilometers and by as much as 34 seconds after 10, before slowing in the last third of the race.

Norway's Kristin Steira finished second, 29 seconds behind, and Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva-Abrusova was third, 44.5 seconds back.

Overall World Cup leader Marit Bjorgen of Norway, winner of five of eight events this season, skipped the race. She tops the standings with 610 points, followed by Smigun at 440.

AP, 18.12.2004

Kristina Smigun of Estonia skis ahead of Russia's Natalia Baranova-Masolkina (3) and Finland's Riitta Liisa Lassila (80) during their cross country 15 km freestyle competition in Ramsau, December 18, 2004. Smigun won in a time of 40 minutes 7.3 seconds, ahead of second placed Kristin Steira of Norway and third placed Evgenia Medvedeva-Abruzova of Russia. (REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader)

Anders Soedergren of Sweden (L) skis ahead of Giorgio di Centa of Italy in a cross country 30 km freestyle race, in Ramsau, December 18, 2004. Frenchman Vincent Vittoz won the competition, ahead of second placed Soedergren and third placed Axel Teichmann of Germany. Di Centa placed tenth. (REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader)

During heavy snowfall Vincent Vittoz from France, front, and second placed Sweden's Anders Soedergren, left behind, are on their run at the men's 30 kilometers freestyle of the cross country World Cup event in Ramsau, Austria, on Saturday Dec.18, 2004. Others unidentified behind.(AP Photos/Kersint Joensson)

Competitors climb up a hill during a cross country 30 km freestyle race in Ramsau, December 18, 2004. Frenchman Vincent Vittoz won the competition, ahead of second placed Anders Soedergren of Sweden and third placed Axel Teichmann of Germany. (REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader)

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Ahonen's gets sixth win of season

ENGELBERG, Switzerland (AP) - Janne Ahonen of Finland won for the sixth time in seven ski jumping World Cup events this season Saturday, stretching his lead in the overall standings to more than 300 points.

Ahonen landed jumps of 141 and 137.5 metres, collecting 279.3 points.

Thomas Morgenstern of Austria finished with 278.2 points with jumps of 136.5 and 137.5 metres.

Jakub Janda led after the opening round after a perfectly executed jump of 139 metres and seemed poised to record the Czech Republic's first World Cup victory in 10 years. But he dropped to third place by going just 134.5 metres on his second attempt for a total of 277.8 points.

Ahonen leads the standings with 680 points, followed by Janda with 368.

AP, 18.12.2004

Janne Ahonen, of Finland, soars through the air at the ski jumping World Cup event in Engelberg, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004. Ahonen won the event with a new jump record of 141 meters. (AP Photo/Keystone, Sigi Tischler)

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Ahonen's ski jump monopoly continues

ENGELBERG, Switzerland (AFP) - Finnish ski jumper Janne Ahonen's dominance of the discipline this season continued as he became the first person to win seven of the first eight World Cup events.

The 27-year-old recorded a total of 260.7 points to edge out Jakub Janda of the Czech Republic by just 0.4 points while Austria's Martin Hoellwarth was third with 258.3 points.

Ahonen leads Janda - who was ahead after the first jump - in the overall standings with the Finn boasting a total of 780 points to the Czech jumper's 448.

Ahonen now has his eyes set on emulating German Sven Hannawald's Grand Slam achieved in 2001/02 of the prestigious Four Hills series which gets underway in Oberstdorf, Germany, on December 29.

"It is possible to emulate that," he said.

"But to do so I must have luck and perform at my best."

AFP, 19.12.2004

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Ahonen completes weekend double

In a repeat of Saturday's first competition on the Engelberg high hill, Janda plopped down the best effort in the first round, bidding to earn the Czech Republic its first World Cup triumph in 10 years.

And like Saturday, Janda again pulled up just short in the final, tallying 130 metres... or five short of Ahonen's second-round jump of 135 metres.

Ahonen missed his telemark on the landing, but the Finn didn't care, sacrificing style for distance on a sloppy Swiss afternoon marked by steady rain and occasional gusts of wind.

Janda, on the other hand, was a master of finesse, touching down a silky smooth landing that held the crowd in suspense, wondering if the Czech jumper could overtake Ahonen on points.

The verdict was close but missed the proverbial cigar, Ahonen ekeing out his seventh win in eight World Cup contests by a slim 0.4 point margin.

Eurosport - AT - 19/12/2004