Ski jumping: Jan Hoerl wins a surprising qualification in Innsbruck
It was a poisoned chalice for Valentin Foubert. After giving a good height to his 117 m jump, the Frenchman finished 21st in the qualifications for the competition inInnsbruck (Austria) on Saturday 3 January. Is this enough to give him an affordable duel against the 30th-placed competitor in the first KO system round of the Four Hills Tournament competition the following day?
Not exactly, because his opponent will be Domen Prevc, the solid leader in the overall World Cup and Tour standings. The Slovenian lacked balance in the air and only landed 112 metres away. He even came close to injuring himself in the landing zone when he hit an advertising hoarding.
“The conditions were difficult for him”, admitted the Austrian winner of the session, Jan Hoerl. If Valentin Foubert is to have any hope of securing a second consecutive final round, he will have to achieve a feat by dominating the reigning world champion, or hope to be drafted in by making one of the five best jumps of the non-qualifiers.
A Jan Hoerl-Andreas Wellinger duel in the competition
The Innsbruck qualifiers were particularly successful for the home team. The Austrians took the top four places in the rankings. Behind Jan Hoerl (128 m), who will face Germany’s Andreas Wellinger (50th) in a duel, Stefan Kraft is 2nd (127.5 m), Stephan Embacher 3rd (125 m) and Daniel Tschofenig 4th (126 m). Behind them, Germany’s Felix Hoffmann was 5th (123m), Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi 11th (118.5m) and Germany’s Philipp Raimund 16th (116.5m).
On the other hand, France’s Alessandro Batby (58th) and Jules Chervet (56th) will not see the competition. The former jumped the same height as his training jumps (105.5m). The second followed too low a trajectory and did no better than 105m.
Full results
2026JP3107RLQThe competition start list
2026JP3108SLR1- The full programme for the 74th edition of the Tournée des Quatre Tremplins
- Valentin Foubert in the final in Oberstdorf, Domen Prevc dominates the qualifiers
- Domen Prevc wins for the first time in Oberstdorf and sets the pace, Valentin Foubert 30th
- Alessandro Batby and Jules Chervet join the French group for the Garmisch-Partenkirchen stage
- Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Jules Chervet and Valentin Foubert qualify, Stephan Embacher breaks the springboard record
- Domen Prevc stuns his rivals in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Valentin Foubert is smiling again
- With Valentin Foubert, Jules Chervet and Alessandro Batby: no change for Les Bleus on the Austrian legs of the Tour
