Malysz soars to Four Hills success

Malysz won two of the four stages of the Four Hills

Adam Malysz became the first Polish ski jumper to win the Four Hills tournament with an impressive performance in the fourth stage of the event at Bischofshofen in Germany.

Malysz followed up his win in the third round at Innsbruck with jumps of 127 and 134 metres.

The 23-year-old's score of 274.80 points enabled him to secure the prestigious overall honour with a record 1,045.90 points.

The Pole also claimed a record margin of victory bettering the 99-point margin Finland's Matti Nykanen in 1998 with a 104.40 lead over Nykanen's fellow coutryman Janne Ahonen.

"I would like to thank everyone who has helped me achieve this victory. I'm so happy I was able to experience this," said Malysz.

"I never dreamed I would be able to ever win the Four Hills tournament."

Malysz's win capped a triumphant tournament in which he became the first competitor ever to finish first in all four qualifying competitions.

Schmitt won the first stage at Oberstdorf

In the final round Ahonen finished second while Andreas Widhoelzl was third to give the usually strong Austrian team their only podium place in the season's event.

The outcome was virtually decided after the first jump when Japan's Noriaki Kasai produced a poor 75 metres.

As a result, Kasai, who had won the second event at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany on New Year's Day, failed to qualify for the second leg after going into the finale second in the standings.

Martin Schmitt, the World Cup holder and series leader, again missed out on notching his first ever Four Hills overall title after he failed to repeat the form which took him to victory in the first leg in Oberstdorf, Germany.

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Four Hills tournament results

Overall

1. Adam Malysz (Poland) 1,045.90 points

2. Janne Ahonen (Finland) 941.50

3. Martin Schmitt (Germany) 920.10

4. Sven Hannawald (Germany) 885.30

5. Stefan Horngacher (Austria) 884.50

6. Matti Hautamaki (Finland) 856.80

Individual stage results

Stage Four
Bishofshofen, Austria, 6 January 2001

1. Adam Malysz 274.80 points

2. Janne Ahonen 242.90

3. Andreas Widhoelzl (Austria) 242.60

4. Martin Schmitt 225.30

5. Manuel Fettner (Austria) 223.30

6. Stefan Horngacher 220.20

Stage Three
Innsbruck, Austria, 4 January 2001

1. Adam Malysz 259.20 points

2. Janne Ahonen 214.30

3. Dmitri Vassiliev (Russia) 2130

4. Noriaki Kasai (Japan) 211.60

5. Tommy Ingebrigtsen (Norway) 206.10

6. Damjan Fras (Slovenia) 201.30

Stage Two
Garmisch-Patenkirchen, Germany,
1 January 2001

1. Noriaki Kasai 257.60 points

2. Dimitri Vassiliev 255.10

3. Adam Malysz 254.20

4. Janne Ahonen 250.80

5. Sven Hannawald 247.70

6. Toni Nieminen (Finland) 244.70

Stage One
Oberstdorf, Germany, 29 December 2000

1. Martin Schmitt 269.60 points

2. Noriaki Kasai 263.50

3. Masahiko Harada (Japan) 259.50

4. Adam Malysz 257.70

5. Sven Hannawald 252.40

6. Stefan Horngacher 249.40