Takanashi and Hendrickson performed best in the official training in Zao.
The official training for the three World Cups, that will be held there this weekend on the K90, was held on Friday in Zao, Japan. Best in all three training rounds was local hero Sara Takanashi. The fifteen year old Junior World Champion jumped 96.5, 98.5 and 98.0 meters. Second behind her was World Cup leader Sarah Hendrickson from the United States. She jumped 94.5, 94.0 and 96.5 meters. So after this training it seems so, that we can look forward to see a great fight between the two Sara(h)s again.
In the first two training rounds Norway’s Anette Sagen came third with jumps on 88.0 and 93.0 meters, but a 90.5 meter jump in the third round meant only the sixth round rank. After jumping only 86.0 and 87.0 meters in the first two rounds, Germany’s Ulrike Grässler jumped on 96.5 meters in the third training. That was the same distance like Hendrickson, but due to compensation points for a shorter inrun the American got, Grässler was ranked third of the round.
Austria’s Daniela Iraschko, who has to win the competitions in Zao, if she wants to keep a chance to catch Hendrickson up in the overall World Cup, did not make it across the 90-meter line. She jumped 87.0, 86.0 and 89.5 meters.
Full training results can be found here:
http://www.fis-ski.com/pdf/2012/JP/3151/2012JP3151RLT.pdf