Matti Hautamaeki triumphs at windy Pragelato

As the only competitor to break twice the distance of 130 metres, Matti Hautamaeki with a huge advantage of 23.7 points won the Friday's event on the new Olympic hill in Pragelato. Michael Uhrmann of Germany was second, while the young Austrian Thomas Morgenstern finished third.

The competition was marked by very difficult wind conditions in which the luck was definitely more important than the skills. Matti Hautamaeki was one of those competitors for whom the wind came at the best time. In the first round, he floated 132,5 metres and took the lead ahead of Michael Uhrmann (126,5 metres) and Thomas Morgenstern (125 metres). A big 'first round surprise' came from Italy's ski jumper Stefano Chapolino: his 119,5 metres let him take 6th place before the final round.

In the second leg, many jumpers improved their results, others slipped from their initial positions. Martin Hoellwarth's 129,5 metres elevated him from initially 14th to 4th place. Also Stefan Hocke managed to move from 9th to a good 5th position after a very good second round attempt of 127 metres.

The big surprise of the first round Stefano Chiapolino didn't manage to hold his excellent position: after a poor effort of 110 metres, he dropped to 20th place. Andreas Widhoelzl, who suffered from very unfavourable wind conditions, jumped only 111 metres and slipped from 4th to 10th place. The record holder Adam Małysz also lost his good 5th place from the first leg after his second, 117,5-metre effort. He finished 9th, beaten by his young colleague from the Polish team, Kamil Stoch, whose 118,5 and 121,5 metres gave him 7th place.

But the 'top three' of the competition hold their first round places. Morgenstern changed Hoellwarth in lead with his 126,5 metres and Michael Uhrmann bettered the young Austrian with an impressive 129-metre-effort. Finally, Hautamaeki assured his win with an amazing 134,5 metres, proving that Finland has more than one ski jumper who can reach the top place on the podium.

The competition was treated like a big rehearsal before next year's Olympic Games in Turino, and this rehearsal didn't came out as a full success. To avoid problems during the Winter Games, some changes, like better protection from sidewinds, are essential.