By Mitch Phillips
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (Reuters) -Norway’s Marius Lindvik delivered a monster 151.3-point second jump to snatch the gold medal in a high quality men’s Olympic large hill ski jumping event on Saturday, denying Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi a golden double.
Kobayashi, fresh from winning the normal hill title last weekend, set the standard again in the first round with a 142-metre jump for 147 points.
Lindvik, who led the way in Friday’s qualifying session, also continued the hot streak of form that brought him three World Cup wins in January, posting 144.8 points to sit in second place.
The Norwegian then delivered a superlative last effort to reach a tally of 296.1 and though Kobayashi produced the next-best jump of the round, he fell just short on 292.8.
Germany’s World Cup leader Karl Geiger, a disappointing 15th in the normal hill, was sitting back in sixth place, more than 10 points off the pace at halfway, but his 144.6 effort earned him the bronze medal.
Poland’s Kamil Stoch, rediscovering his best form after an ankle injury disrupted his bid for a third successive gold in the event, finished fourth.
(Reporting by Phil O’Connor and Mitch Phillips, Editing by Hugh Lawson and Clare Fallon)
