Intro:

Slovenia's Jernej Damjan came out on top in qualifying for Saturday's FIS men's Ski-Jumping World Cup event in Engelberg.

Script:

The big guns are already safely pre-qualified and this means it's time for some of ski-jumping's lesser names to shine in Engelberg, Switzerland.

Enter Kento Sakuyama, who delivered one of his best ever performances in individual competition.

The 24-year-old from Nagano slipped into the lead thanks to a massive jump of 136.0-metres, earning 134.1 points.

The Japanese stayed out in front for a long time, until the arrival of Richard Freitag.

Though only 23-years-old, Freitag is a experienced and capable campaigner, with numerous podium placings to his name.

The German went to the top of the standings - the leap was only 129.5-metres - but the judges' marks proved critical, boosting him to 135.1 points.

Another 136.0-metre effort though, was to decide the final result.

Jernej Damjan was the man responsible - the Slovenian earning 136.5 points.

Perhaps as a polite warning of the competition they will face on Saturday, one or two stars chose to have a practice jump.

Anders Bardal exemplified the standard expected, the Norwegian clearing 141.0 metres.