LEAD: Schlierenzauer wins Four Hills Tournament in Austria sweep

Jan 6, 2012, 18:48 GMT

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

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.

It meant Schlierenzauer was able to clinch the Tour victory he had threatened to win since his World Cup debut as a 16-year-old.

He finished overall on 933.8 points, ahead of title-holder Morgenstern (908.5) and World Cup leader Andreas Kofler (896.9) as Austria's recent domination of the event continued.

'I have fought so long for this. Now my dream has been fulfilled,' Schlierenzauer said. 'It is indescribable.'

It was only the third time in the 60-year history of the Four Hills tournament that one nation has claimed all three overall podium places after Finland in 1954-55 and Austria in 1974-75.

Austrian skiers have also now won an unprecedented four successive Tour titles following victories by Wolfgang Loitzl, Kofler and Morgenstern in the previous three editions. Austria now moves to 13 victories overall, three behind Finland.

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

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

After an individual gold at the ski-flying world championships in 2008 and an individual gold at the 2011 World Cup (plus four team golds), Schlierenzauer now only needs an individual Olympic gold to draw level with Finnish great Matti Nykanen.

At the 2010 winter Games in Vancouver, Schlierenzauer won a team gold but had to make do with bronze medals in the normal and large hill events.