Bad scenes

Serious fall overshadows competition in Ljubno

Thea Minyan Björseth falls heavily.

(Bild: GEPA, Screenshot Eurosport)

Nika Prevc has won the normal hill ski jumping competition in Ljubno, Slovenia. The local heroine benefited on Saturday from the heavy fall of half-time leader Thea Minyan Björseth from Norway, who had obliterated Daniela Iraschko-Stolz's hill record with 97 meters in the first heat. 

Björseth fell forward and injured herself. She finished third behind Prevc and Selina Freitag (GER). Lisa Eder and Jacqueline Seifriedsberger finished fourth and fifth.

Björseth stopped in the outrun
Eva Pinkelnig in eighth place was the third Austrian in the top 10, with Julia Mühlbacher and Chiara Kreuzer also scoring points in 16th and 20th place. Eder was 0.1 points ahead of Seifriedsberger by the narrowest of margins, 2.6 points behind the podium and the fallen Björseth. The Norwegian, who was the last to start the competition, stayed down in the outrun for a long time and then had to be taken to hospital. According to initial diagnoses, the 21-year-old suffered painful injuries to her left knee and left elbow.

"The trial run was pretty cool, I was a bit nervous in the first, but it went better in the second," was Eder's brief summary of fourth place. Seifriedsberger identified two "good" jumps. "I didn't quite manage it like that yet, but I'm still satisfied. But I'm also happy for Lisa."

Result:
1st Nika Prevc (SLO) 258.0 points (90.5 m/95)
2. Selina Freitag (GER) 240.6 (89/94.5)
3. Thea Minyan Björseth (NOR) 233.0 (97 m/jump record/94.5/fall)
4. Lisa Eder (AUT) 230.4 (86/92)
5. Jacqueline Seifriedsberger (AUT) 230.3 (85/86)
6. Sara Takanashi (JPN) 229.8 (92/86)
Next:
 8thEva Pinkelnig 216.9 (88.5/82.5)
16th Julia Mühlbacher 201.3 (83.5/86)
20th Chiara Kreuzer (all AUT) 183.3 (82/79.5)

Overall World Cup (after 17 of 25 competitions):
1st Nika Prevc (SLO) 1233 points
2. Katharina Schmid (GER) 968
3. Eirin Maria Kvandal (NOR) 816
Next:
 6. Seifriedsberger 666
 8. Pinkelnig 616
 9. Eder 605

Nations Cup (21 of 29):
1st Germany 3299 points 
2. Norway 3271
3. Austria 2689