Schmitt Wins World Cup Ski Jump

HAKUBA, Japan (AP) â€” Martin Schmitt of Germany won for the fourth time this season Wednesday, capturing the first of the week's three World Cup ski jumping events in Japan. <br><br>He had the day's

Wednesday, January 24th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

HAKUBA, Japan (AP) â€” Martin Schmitt of Germany won for the fourth time this season Wednesday, capturing the first of the week's three World Cup ski jumping events in Japan.

He had the day's best jump in the second series, leaping 130.5 meters and earning a total of 267.8 points on the large hill of Hakuba Stadium, the 1998 Olympic ski jumping venue.

Schmitt also was first with a 128.0-meter jump in the first series.

The German star, who skipped last week's event in Salt Lake City with a broken finger, ended the five-meet winning streak of Poland's Adam Malysz. He placed eighth at 240.0 points for jumps of 125.5 and 129.5 meters with shaky landings.

With the triumph Schmitt snatched the lead from Malysz in the World Cup standings with 696 points. The Pole slipped to second with a total of 671 points after 11 of the season's 21 events.

Finland's Risto Jussilainen was second by leaping 122.0 and 126.0 meters for 247.9 points, followed by Austria's Andreas Widhoelzl who jumped 119.5 and 126.0 meters for 242.9 points.

Noriaki Kasai of Japan finished fourth with leaps of 120.5 and 123.5 meters that gave him 242.7 points.

Kasai stayed in fourth in the World Cup standings with 446 points, behind Janne Ahonen's 593 points. The Finn placed sixth after leaping 120.0 and 124.5 meters for 242.1 points.

The 12th and 13th events are scheduled for Sapporo on Saturday and Sunday.