Austria get third ski-flying team title; Watabe tops combined

Feb 26, 2012, 15:01 GMT

Vikersund, Norway - Martin Koch delivered when it mattered as Austria claimed a third straight ski-flying world championship team event title ahead of Germany on Sunday.

Koch soared 218 metres as the final jumper of the competition to win along with Gregor Schlierenzauer, Thomas Morgenstern and Andreas Kofler on 1,648.4 points.

The Germans, who had led into the final round of jumpers on the world's biggest flying hill in Norway, came second with 1,625.2 points. Saturday's individual world champion Robert Kranjec helped Slovenia place third with 1,580.2 points.

The other Austrian titles came in 2008 and 2010. Hosts Norway finished fourth, missing the podium for the first time in the event after winning the first two editions 2004 and 2006, coming third in 2008 and second in 2010.

Also on Sunday, Akito Watabe of Japan beat World Cup leader Jason Lamy Chappuis for his third Nordic combined skiing season victory, clocking 26 minutes 17.2 seconds in the 10km cross-country pursuit after placing fourth in the morning ski-jump.

The Frenchman Lamy Chappuis rose from 10th in jumping to second, 18.2 seconds behind Watabe, and Mario Stecher of Austria trailed by 27.1 in third place.

Lamy Chappuis remained on course towards successive World Cup titles with 1,253 points now to Watabe's 1,070, with just three races left in the season. A victory is worth 100 points.