FIS World Cup Ski Jumping competition in Zakopane, Poland
Malysz earns ski jumping gold

ZAKOPANE, Poland (AP) - Adam Malysz of Poland won a World Cup ski jumping event on a large hill Sunday, scoring 278.2 points on identical jumps of 132 metres.

It was the fourth win of the season for Malysz, who is in second place in the overall World Cup standings with 994 points.

Janne Ahonen of Finland, who finished second with 270.9 points and jumps of 128.5 and 132, leads the standings with 1,526 points. Jakub Janda of the Czech Republic is third overall with 979 points.

Roar Ljoekelsoey of Norway took third Sunday with 268.7 points and jumps of 127.5 and 131.5.

Associated Press, 1/30/2005

Sun Jan 30,11:26 AM ET. Poland's Adam Malysz soars in the air as the crowd wave Polish national flags during the World Cup ski jumping competition in Zakopane, Poland, Sunday Jan.30, 2005. Malysz won the event. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

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Malysz and Ljoekelsoey share Zakopane victory

ZAKOPANE, Poland (AFP) - Poland's former world champion Adam Malysz and Roar Ljoekelsoey of Norway shared victory in the latest round of the ski-jump World Cup when they dead-heated for first place.

Both men finished on 268.9pts after Malysz recorded leaps of 129.5m and 131m with Ljoekelsoey registering 130m and 128m in front of a 60,000 crowd.

Finland's Janne Ahonen, who could only finish in fourth spot, retains his overall lead in the title race with 1,446pts with the Czech Republic's Jakub Janda, who was 11th on Saturday, on 950pts and Martyn Hoellwarth, of Austria, sixth here, in third spot spot overall on 896pts.

Ahonen, who has already won 12 times this season, suffered his second worst result of the campaign having finished in a lowly seventh place at Titisee-Neustadt in Germany last weekend.

The next round of the World Cup is a double-header at Sapporo, in Japan, on February 5 and 6.

AP, Jan 29, 2005, 1:57 PM

Sat Jan 29,12:54 PM ET. Roar Ljoekelsoey of Norway sores through the air during FIS World Cup Ski Jumping competition in Zakopane January 29, 2005. Roar Ljoekelsoey finished in the first place together with Adam Malysz of Poland. REUTERS/Peter Andrews 

Sat Jan 29,12:57 PM ET. Adam Malysz of Poland soars through the air during the FIS World Cup Ski Jumping competition in Zakopane, January 29, 2005. Malysz finished in first position along with Roar Ljoekelsoey of Norway, both with 268.9 points. REUTERS/Peter Andrews 

Sat Jan 29, 1:44 PM ET. Roar Ljoekelsoey of Norway celebrates after FIS World Cup Ski Jumping competition in Zakopane January 29, 2005. Roar Ljoekelsoey finished in the first place together with Adam Malysz of Poland. REUTERS/Katarina Stoltz 

Sat Jan 29, 4:56 PM ET. Poland's former world champion Adam Malysz and Roar Ljoekelsoey of Norway celebrate their shared victory in the latest round of the ski-jump World Cup when they dead-heated for first place.(AFP/Janke Skarzynski) 

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FIS World Cup Nordic Combined competition in Sapporo, Japan
Manninen Wins 6th Straight World Cup Nordic

SAPPORO, Japan - Finland's Hannu Manninen overcame a seventh-place effort in the ski jumping to win his sixth straight Nordic combined World Cup title Sunday.

Manninen, also the winner Saturday, completed the 15-kilometer race in 37 minutes, 25.8 seconds after falling behind with jumps of 121.5 and 125 meters.

Japan's Daito Takahashi was second and Finland's Anssi Koivuranta finished third. American Todd Lodwick was 15th, 4:25.2 behind Manninen.

Manninen leads the overall World Cup standings with 1,046 points. Germany's Ronny Ackermann is second with 810, followed by Lodwick with 564.

AP, Jan 30, 2005, 2:56 AM

Sun Jan 30, 5:27 AM ET. Finland's Hannu Manninen (L) celebrates his victory with his compatriot Anssi Koivuranta, who placed third, at the FIS World Cup Nordic Combined competition in Sapporo, northern Japan January 30, 2005. Manninen, who leads the overall World Cup standings, climbed to the top in the 15km cross country event after placing sixth in the ski jumping competition. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

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Manninen wins Nordic combined

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) - Hannu Manninen of Finland won his fifth straight Nordic combined World Cup event Saturday after building up a lead in the cross-country sprint.

Manninen took a 17-second lead after the 10-kilometre sprint and then nailed jumps of 119.5 metres and 109.5 metres for 226.8 points.

He recorded a sprint time of 24 minutes, 54.9 seconds on his way a seventh title of the season.

Ronny Ackermann of Germany came second while Norway's Magnus Moan was third.

Manninen leads the overall standings after 13 rounds with 946 points, followed by Ackermann with 784.

In World Cup B competition in Klingenthal, Germany, Jason Myslicki of Thunder Bay, Ont., was 38th after a good showing on the ski jump hill and a mediocre showing on the cross-country course.

"It is definitely a substantial improvement over the last few competitions," Myslicki said of his jumping. "I was 14th after the ski jumping and was really hoping to move into the top 10.

"I took a gamble with some new skis but that gamble didn't pay off because they were fare too stiff and I just couldn't ski on them."

Mathieu Martinez of France won the gold medal.

Max Thompson of Calgary was 44th and Wes Harris of Calgary was 48th.

AP, Jan 29, 2005, 10:22 AM

Sun Jan 30, 1:01 AM ET. Hannu Manninen, of Finland, soars into the air during the ski jumping at Nordic Combined World Cup in Sapporo, northern Japan, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2005.(AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara) 

Sun Jan 30,12:49 AM ET. Daito Takahashi of Japan jumps in the air during the FIS World Cup Nordic Combined competition in Sapporo, northern Japan January 30, 2005. Takahashi finished at second place in the ski jumping portion. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao 

Sat Jan 29, 1:01 AM ET. Hannu Manninen, right, of Finland, leads during 10km cross-country event of FIS World Cup Nordic Combined in Sapporo, northern Japan, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2005. Magnus Moan (7), Bjoern Kircheisen of Germany (8) follow him. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara) 

Sat Jan 29,12:55 AM ET. Magnus Moan of Norway(7), center, leads at the start of the 10 km cross-country race during FIS World Cup Nordic Combined in Sapporo, northern Japan, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2005. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)