Arttu Lappi moves into contention in Four Hills Tournament

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Finland's ski-jumping elite looks to be getting a new name: Arttu Lappi has moved himself nicely into contention in the Four Hills Tournament, and is lying in second place overall, just 10.7 points behind the leader, Norway's Anders Jacobsen.
      Lappi, 22, has been the most consistent Finnish jumper this year, ahead of his more experienced and illustrious team-mates Janne Ahonen and Matti Hautamäki, and he has also improved his standing in the Four Hills, moving from 6th after the first event in Oberstdorf to 4th after Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
      His fourth place in Innsbruck on Thursday lifted him to within striking distance of joining a long list of former Finnish winners of this prestige New Year's event. Ahonen has won the Four Hills on four separate occasions, and is the defending champion from last year, together with Jakub Janda of the Czech Republic.
     
Jacobsen won the Innsbruck competition ahead of Austrian favourite Thomas Morgenstern. This season's young comet Gregor Schlierenzauer of Austria disappointed the 21,000 home fans by finishing only 11th, and he has dropped to seventh overall for the Four Hills.
      Lappi's solid showing was backed up by Janne Ahonen, who produced his best placing of what has thus far been a difficult season for him. He was fifth. Hautamäki, meanwhile, went from hero to zero in a few days, slipping down the field to 29th.
      The final event of the Four Hills Tournament will be held at Bischofshofen on Sunday.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Welcome return to podium for Matti Hautamäki (2.1.2007)

Links:
  Four Hills Tournament (Wikipedia)
  Arttu Lappi on the FIS pages

Helsingin Sanomat