Sara Takanashi won the first women's FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event of the season ©FIS

Japan’s Sara Takanashi began the women's International Ski Federation (FIS) Ski Jumping World Cup season in style as she took victory in the opening event of the campaign in Lillehammer today.

Takanashi, overall World Cup silver medallist last year, posted jumps of 95.5 metres and 97.5m to finish with a commanding total of 251.7 points.

Her efforts proved enough to claim the gold medal ahead of Slovenian Maja Vtic, who recorded the best result of her career as she was second, and home favourite Maren Lundby.

Vtic was able to produce the furthest jump of the competition as she leapt 101.5m in the first round to help her to a score of 240.2 points.

Lundy was 6.6 adrift in third but she managed to edge Austrian Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, Olympic silver medallist at Sochi 2014 and is the defending Ski Jumping World Cup champion, to bronze.

It proved to be a disastrous outing for Olympic champion Carina Vogt of Germany, who languished down in 15th place following jumps of 85m and 90.5m.

“I didn't expect this win, but it was my goal,” Takanashi, whose success was her 31st World Cup triumph, said.

“I am very happy about it.

“My goal for the season is to jump stable in every condition, like today.

“I want to win the overall World Cup, but it´s more important to concentrate on my jumps now.”

Japan's Sara Takanashi secured her 31st Ski Jumping World Cup win with victory in Lillehammer
Japan's Sara Takanashi secured her 31st Ski Jumping World Cup win with victory in Lillehammer ©Getty Images

The competition in Lillehammer, host of the Winter Olympic Games in 1994 and which is due to stage the Winter Youth Olympic Games in February, continues with two days of men's action, starting tomorrow and concluding on Sunday (December 6).

It follows the cancellation of the men's season opener in Ruka, Finland, last month because of strong wind.

Organisers had been forced to cancel official training and qualification due to the wind.

With conditions having failed to improve sufficiently yesterday, the first day of competition was rescheduled with a view to action taking place, but conditions were eventually deemed to dangerous.

The next women’s Ski Jumping World Cup event is due to take place in Nizhny Tagil, Russia, on December 12 to 13.



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