Schlierenzauer soars to ski-jumping World Cup title (Roundup)

Mar 15, 2009, 15:00 GMT

Vikersund, Norway - Austrian teenager Gregor Schlierenzauer kept his balance on Sunday to clinch the ski-jumping World Cup title with a stylish victory on the Norwegian ski-flying hill.

Schlierenzauer, 19, won from Switzerland's Simon Ammann in front of a big crowd including Norwegian King Harald V to assure himself of a first World Cup crown in a record-breaking season.

He equalled Janne Ahonen's 12 season victories on Sunday and can better the mark at next weekend's season-finale on the world's largest hill in Planica, Slovenia. His 19 podium finishes are unrivalled and so is his overall points tally.

'It was a dream season. I am more than satisfied and very proud. It feels great,' said Schlierenzauer.

Schlierenzauer had failed to stand massive leaps of 213m and 224m in Austria's team event win on Saturday, and after the second jump made several gestures to the jury to express his disgust at a too long in-run which made jumps dangerous for him.

Officials were more cautious on Sunday as Schlierenzauer soared 207.5m and 192m metres for a winning total of 386.4 points.

Ammann had 191m and 202.5m for 379.7 points and Russia's Dimitry Vassiliev soared 184m and 204m for third place with 372.2 points.

Schlierenzauer has 1,938 points and can no longer be caught by Ammann (1,674) and Austrian Wolfgang Loitzl (1,356).

Schlierenzauer was in full command from January onwards and caught up with early leader Ammann with two wins on the 2010 Olympics hill in Whistler, Canada.

Schlierenzauer is the second Austrian in a row to win the World Cup, following Thomas Morgenstern's 2008 success, and the sixth from his country overall.

He made his World Cup debut aged 16 and is a regular starter for Austria since December 2006.

He won the ski-flying world title in 2008 and also has team event gold medals from the 2007 and 2009 world championships, plus a normal hill silver from the 2009 worlds.

Sunday's success also gave Schlierenzauer a second straight win at the Nordic tournament with competitions in in Finland in Lahti and Kuopio and the Norwegian stops of Lillehammer and Vikersund.