Four Hills: Finn Ahonen claims record fifth title

BISCHOFSHOFEN, Austria — Janne Ahonen became the firs jumper to win the prestigious Four Hills tournament for a fifth time Sunday.

BISCHOFSHOFEN, Austria — Janne Ahonen became the firs jumper to win the prestigious Four Hills tournament for a fifth time Sunday.
    The 30-year-old Finn won the final stop under difficult circumstances due to rain with jumps of 126 and 136 meters, earning him 251.6 points in the World Cup event.
    His main competitor, Thomas Morgenstern, finished third with 242.7 points, while Gregor Schlierenzauer, who was third in the standings, failed to qualify for the second leg.
    ''This means a lot to me,'' Ahonen said. ''But it will be easier to understand what it really means after a couple of years.''
    Ahonen also won the Four Hills tournament in 1999, 2003, '05, and '06 when he shared victory with Jakub Janda of the Czech Republic.
    Jens Weissflog of Germany is the only jumper with four tournament wins, in 1984, '85, '91, and '96.
    ''This was an amazing day. The weather was difficult, but I knew I could handle it and I was very confident for my final jump,'' said Ahonen, who holds 34 World Cup titles and has the record for most World Cup wins in one season — 12 in 2004-05.
    Earlier, Ahonen speculated about retiring from the sport by the end of the season.
    ''Maybe, maybe not,'' Ahonen said. ''The season is still long and I will decide after the season is over.''
    The event was disrupted by rain in the first leg, which caused poor conditions for some jumpers and led to the elimination of favorites Schlierenzauer, Tom Hilde, Simon Ammann and Wolfgang Loitzl.
    Norway's Anders Bardal and Anders Jakobsen, who won the Four Hills tournament last year, led after the first jump, with Ahonen in third position.
    Ahonen had the longest jump in the second leg, beating Morgenstern's 135.5 meters by 0.5 meter.
    ''I am proud to be on the same stage as Janne, who I really admire,'' the 21-year-old Morgenstern said. ''I was third last year, second this year, so someday my victory will come.''
    Morgenstern extended his lead in the overall World Cup standings. He now has 940 points. Schlierenzauer is second with 654, Ahonen third with 615.
    The World Cup jumping circuit continues in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on Jan. 12.

    — The Associated Press