Sara Takanashi is the best in women's ski jumping
in summer 2013. With her clear win in the first
of two FIS Grand Prix competitions in Almaty (KAZ),
the Japanese again showed that she is in a league
of her own. With this win the 16-year-old won the
overall title of the FIS Grand Prix already before
the final event on Sunday in Almaty.
Takanashi posted jumps on 102 m and 105.5 m (244.5
points). French Coline Mattel (99.5 m and 98 m;
230 points) as second, and Takanashi's teammate
Yurina Yamada (98 m and 100.5 m; 220.4 points) as
third could not put the victory of last winter's
overall World Cup winner in jeopardy.
"The conditions were pretty difficult today,
many jumpers had to wait on the bar. I tried to
focus on my performance and I was able to show two
really good jumps", Takanashi said after the
competition.
Coline Mattel was also satisfied: "My first
jump was very good, the second one was okay. I'm
very satisfied, my jumps were on a high level. I
know, I still have some work to do in order to stand
on top of the podium, but today's result showed
me that I'm on the right track. It was a good day
for me."
For Yurina Yamada today's third place was the first
podium finish of her career. So far a tenth place
in Hinterzarten was the best result of the 17-year-old.
"This is my first podium result and I think
it was an important step for me", told Yamada.
After her two wins last weekend in Nizhniy Tagil
(RUS), this was already the third win in a row for
Takanashi. With a total of 425 points she also won
the overall title of the Grand Prix before the final
event. Coline Mattel is second (289 points), Slovenia's
Katja Pozun follows as third (206 points).
Lead by Eva Logar as fourth, the Slovenian team
showed a very strong team performance, even if none
of them was on the podium today. Logar was followed
by Katja Pozun, Ursa Bogataj and Spela Rogelj on
the places six to eight.
Best of the German team was Svenja Wuerth as ninth,
Irina Avvakumova achieved a good result for Russia
as tenth. The fifth place went to Finland's Julia
Kykkaenen, her best result this summer.
Best of the Canadians was Atsuko Tanaka as 13th,
best Czech was Michaela Dolezelova as 14th. Evelyn
Insam was the best of the Italian team as 17th,
followed by the best US American Jessica Jerome
as 18th.
