Zajc claims maiden ski jumping World Cup title

After narrowly missing out on top spot last time out in Sapporo, the Slovenian youngster recorded a personal best distance of 233.5 metres to seal the victory ahead of second-placed Dawid Kubacki.

Zajc recorded a jump measuring 220.0 metres on his first run, accruing 207.5 points in the process, to leave him in the reckoning.

Then the young prodigy delivered a stunning second run to top the podium with a total score of 430.1 to seal his maiden World Cup victory.

Pole Kubacki finished in second, notching up 424.8 points to edge out home favourite Markus Eisenbichler in bronze.

Overall World Cup leader Ryoyu Kobayashi could only muster a 14th place finish – ending up 44.6 points behind Zajc.

Despite the result, Kobayashi's early season dominance sees him maintain his spot at the top of the overall rankings.

Sportsbeat 2019