Schlierenzauer wins Four Hills Tournament

Jan 6, 2012, 18:15 GMT

Bischofshofen, Austria - Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria captured his first Four Hills ski jumping title Friday a day before his 22nd birthday.

The five-time world champion secured the title when the second jump on the last of the four stages of the prestigious tour was abandoned amid heavy snowfall in Bischofshofen.

Team-mate Thomas Morgenstern won the event after leading with a jump of 135 metres (138.7 points) in the first of the two planned jumps, with Schlierenzauer lying third on 131m (128.4 points) behind Norway's Anders Bardal on 135m (136.5 points) .

Ten of the 30 jumpers had completed the second round when heavy snow forced an interruption and eventual cancellation.

Schlierenzauer had won the Tour's first two stages in Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany, while World Cup leader Andreas Kofler took the third stage in Innsbruck ahead of Schlierenzauer.

Austrian skiers have now won four successive Tour titles following victories by Wolfgang Loitzl, Kofler and Morgenstern in the previous three editions.

The four Austrian wins in this year's Tour also mean Austrian skiers have won 17 of the last 24 individual jumps over the last six years.