Double top Stoch denies Kasai historic gold in ski jump

Rosa Khutor (Russia) (AFP) - Poland's Kamil Stoch won his second ski jumping gold of the Olympics when he triumphed on the large hill Saturday to deny Japan's Noriaki Kasai the chance to become the oldest ever Winter Games champion.

Stoch led by almost three points after the first jump, but a huge leap from 41-year-old Kasai in the second round put the pressure on the Pole.

Yet he did just enough to maintain a lead of 1.3 points and secure the gold medal, to add to the world title he won last year and the normal hill gold he claimed in Sochi last weekend.

"I did such a big mistake in the second round. I don't know how I jumped so far," said Stoch.

"I was too aggressive. That's why I flew so far, but hey, what the heck? That's why I won."

Kasai, who also won silver in Lillehammer 20 years ago -- equalling the record for the longest time between two Olympic medals -- said this result made up for missing out on a top-three finish on the normal hill.

"I took the medal that I didn't take in the normal hill. Then I felt regret and now I feel happy," he said.

Slovenia's Peter Prevc took bronze after a huge leap of over 140 metres in the second round.

He had already won silver on the normal hill but as he is entered into the team competition, which concludes on Monday, he said it is still too soon to start celebrating.

"There will be no celebrations, at least until Monday, then we will see."

Stoch was certainly the man to beat coming into Sochi having won the world title in March last year.

And following the first round he appeared unbeatable after sailing out to 139m.

Kasai had matched that distance in the first round but with his wind advantage and not being scored as highly by the judges, he found himself 2.8 points behind going into the second jump.

Germany's Severin Freund was only 0.4 behind Kasai and also seemed in with a chance, but at that stage Prevc was almost six points off a medal.

The Slovenian sailed the furthest in the second jump while Freund had a disappointing score, allowing Prevc to leapfrog him.

Yet the real drama was still to come.

Kasai landed a huge jump and looked to have maybe done enough to snatch the gold, only for Stoch to respond to get himself over the line.