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Austria has dominated team ski jumping for most
of the last decade, but failed to win the Nation's
Cup last season for the first time since 2003/04.
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In World Cup history, Austria has won 25 of the
66 World Cup team events (all hills) and made the
podium 55 times. In large hill World Cup team events,
Austria has won 17 out of 44, with 36 podium appearances.
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Austria has made the top three in the Nation's Cup
in 33 of the 34 seasons in which it has been held,
missing out only in 1996/97.
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The five main members of Austria's squad during
their decade of dominance are the five most successful
team ski jumpers of all time and are the only five
ski jumpers in World Cup history to have 10 or more
victories in team events (on all hills).
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Thomas Morgenstern leads all jumpers with 16 World
Cup team victories, followed by Gregor Schlierenzauer
and Andreas Kofler (14), then Martin Koch (11) and
Wolfgang Loitzl (10).
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Despite winning last year's world championship large
hill team event, Austria hasn't won a large hill
World Cup team event since November 2011 (Kuusamo),
a span of six competitions. The Austrians even missed
the podium in the most recent two large hill World
Cup team events, finishing fourth in Willingen and
Lahti late last season.
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Austria's last World Cup team event triumph on any
hill was on the ski flying hill in Planica at the
end of the 2011/12 season.
Norway, Slovenia and Germany all aim for victory
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Norway, Slovenia and Germany have each won two out
of the last six large hill World Cup team events.
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The trio, along with Austria, have all made the
podium in four of the last six large hill World
Cup team events. Poland (two podiums) is the only
other country to have finished in the top three
during this time.
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Norway can break its tie with Finland by finishing
on the podium in a World Cup team event for the
38th time. Only Austria (55) have more World Cup
team podiums.
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Slovenia made the podium in a large hill World Cup
team event seven times in their history, and all
seven have come at different venues (Planica, Lahti,
Pragelato, Harrachov, Kuusamo, Zakopane and Willingen).
Klingenthal can become the eighth different venue
for a Slovenian podium this weekend.
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Germany has finished on the podium in each of the
last four large hill World Cup team events to be
held in Germany (all in Willingen).
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Germany's last six large hill World Cup team events
have produced the following results pattern: 4,
3, 1, then 4, 3, 1 again. If this pattern continues
in Klingenthal, the Germans will just miss the podium.
Klingenthal hosts first World Cup team event
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This will be the first ski jumping World Cup team
event to be held in Klingenthal.
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It is the first time a World Cup ski jumping event
will have been held in November in Germany, or in
any country other than Finland, Norway or Canada.
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This equals the earliest start to a World Cup season
in ski jumping history. The 2001/02 season also
started on 23 November, in Kuopio, Finland.
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There have been 13 previous large hill World Cup
team competitions held in Germany, all in Willingen.
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Austria are the best performed country with four
wins and 11 podiums in those 13 events, while host
nation Germany has managed two wins (equal third)
and nine podiums (second).
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Andreas Kofler (AUT) has been the most successful
jumper in large hill World Cup team events in Germany,
triumphing three times with the Austrian team, in
2007, 2009 and 2011.
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Kofler, teammate Thomas Morgenstern and retired
Finn Matti Hautam?ki share the lead with six podiums
in large hill World Cup team events held in Germany.
Large hill individual – November 24th
Schlierenzauer can be first man to reach 10 wins
in Germany
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Gregor Schlierenzauer (AUT) can become the first
man to win 10 individual World Cup events in Germany.
His nine individual wins in Germany have all come
on a large hill, at four different venues (Klingenthal,
Willingen, Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen).
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Schlierenzauer is already the only man in World
Cup history with 10 or more individual victories
in a single country, with 11 wins in Norway.
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Schlierenzauer owns 17 individual World Cup podiums
on German snow. On Sunday he can tie the all-time
record of 18 podiums in Germany, jointly held by
Janne Ahonen (FIN) and Adam Malysz (POL). That number
marks the second most individual World Cup podiums
by any ski jumper in any country, topped only by
Ahonen's 21 podiums in Austria.
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Schlierenzauer is already the only man to win more
than once in Klingenthal, having triumphed there
in 2007 and 2009.
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In his five previous individual World Cup competitions
in Klingenthal, Schlierenzauer has made four podiums
and has finished no worse than fifth.
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Schlierenzauer has never won the opening individual
competition of a World Cup season. In last season's
opening weekend in Lillehammer, he finished eighth
on the normal hill in the first individual competition
and won the large hill a day later. That victory
in Lillehammer is Schlierenzauer's only individual
World Cup win in the month of November.
Kasai begins 23rd World Cup season
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Japanese legend Noriaki Kasai begins his 23rd World
Cup season this weekend at age 41.
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Kasai's first individual World Cup podium, on the
normal hill at Lahti in February 1992, came one
month after Schlierenzauer's first birthday.
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Kasai's 43 individual World Cup podiums rank 13th
in World Cup history and first among non-European
jumpers.
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Kasai has more World Cup wins (5) and podiums (12)
in Germany than in any other country. He doesn't
have more than two wins or six podiums in any other
country.
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Kasai's victory on the large hill in Willingen in
February 2003 was the last individual World Cup
win on German snow by a non-European jumper. The
47 individual events since then have all been won
by Europeans.
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In the 34 years of World Cup ski jumping, the winner
of the first individual competition of the season
has gone on to win the overall World Cup in the
same season title 10 times.
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The most recent jumper to achieve this was Thomas
Morgenstern (AUT) in 2007/08.
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Last season, Severin Freund (GER) won the first
competition of the season and finished fourth in
the overall World Cup standings.
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Six times in ski jumping World Cup history, the
overall World Cup title was won by a teammate of
the man who won the season opener. This happened
most recently in 2010/11, when Andreas Kofler (AUT)
won the first competition but Morgenstern claimed
the overall title.
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On five of those six occasions, Austrian jumpers
were involved. The only time a non-Austrian jumper
won the season opener only to have a teammate win
the overall title came in 2003/04, when Matti Hautamaki
(FIN) won the first event in Kuusamo only for Janne
Ahonen (FIN) to win the season-long title.
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The most successful jumper in the season opener
in World Cup history is Dieter Thoma (FRG/GER).
He won the season opener on four different occasions
(1988, 1989, 1996 and 1997).
Winner of the first competition and overall winner
in the same season:
Name Nation Season
Thomas Morgenstern AUT 2007/08
Janne Ahonen FIN 2004/05
Adam Malysz POL 2001/02
Martin Schmitt GER 1999/00
Martin Schmitt GER 1998/99
Espen Bredesen NOR 1993/94
Toni Nieminen FIN 1991/92
Andreas Felder AUT 1990/91
Matti Nyka"nen FIN 1987/88
Matti Nyka"nen FIN 1982/83