Posted at 6:49 a.m., Sunday, December 23, 2007
Skiing: Morgenstern fails to win record 7th in a row
Associated Press
ENGELBERG, Switzerland (AP) _ Thomas Morgenstern failed to win a record seventh straight event in World Cup ski jumping after finishing third today.The Olympic champion was beaten by Andreas Kuettel of Switzerland, who won with jumps of 125.5 and 136 meters in the large hill for 252.7 points.
Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer was second with 248.9 points after jumps of 124.5 and 136.
Morgenstern came third with 124.5 and 135 meters for 246.6 points, ending his bid to break the record for most consecutive victories.
"I'm happy with my performance and of course it's best when you're at home," Kuettel told Swiss television.
Going into the two-day meet, Morgenstern had already become the first skier to post five straight victories to start a season — and he extended his streak to six in Engelberg on Saturday. That tied him with Finland's Matti Hautamaki and Janne Ahonen for the most wins in a row at any time of the season.
Morgenstern leads the overall World Cup standings with 660 points. Schlierenzauer is second with 429 points, followed by Wolfgang Loitzl of Austria with 300. Kuettel moves up to seventh with 227 points.
