Austria’s young star Jonas Schuster soared 456 feet in the morning event, the longest jump since a new scaffold was built in 2020. That record feat was matched in the afternoon by Markus Eisenbichler of Germany, a veteran jumper who narrowly missed the podium at the 2022 Olympics.

Athletes from nine nations converged on Giant Pine for the Marshfield Medical Center Dickinson Continental Cup. Another competition hosted by the Kiwanis Ski Club is set for 1 p.m. Sunday, though the time may depend on the weather.

High winds canceled training jumps Friday, but Saturday didn’t disappoint.

In the morning event, Schuster stood in fifth place after his first-round jump of 430 feet. His second ride — testing the limits of a hill that dates to 1939 — came in at 456 feet. That was 2 feet better than the efforts a year ago of Austria’s Maximillian Ortner and Germany’s Luca Roth.

MARKUS EISENBICHLER of Germany flies through the air during the second competition at the Marshfield Dickinson Pine Mountain Continental Cup ski jumping competition Saturday at Pine Mountain in Iron Mountain. (Dave Kallmann photo)

Ortner had been the leader in today’s opening round with a leap of 446 feet. He managed 420 feet on his second ride and finished fourth.

Austrian Francisco Moerth placed second, turning in jumps of 425 feet and 446 feet. Placing third was Eisenbichler, who had two jumps of 431 feet.

In the afternoon event, it was Eisenbichler’s turn to make a huge move up. Holding seventh place after his first jump — again, 431 feet — he sailed to the 456-foot mark and grabbed a lead that would not be relinquished.

Second place went to Anders Haare of Norway, traveling 445 feet and 407 feet. Nineteen-year-old Ben Bayer of Germany took the third podium spot, soaring 453 feet and 415 feet.

After Bayer’s first ride, FIS officials moved the starting gate a notch lower in the interests of safety. The scoring system allows for gate/wind compensation, which is included in each skier’s point total, along with distance and style grades.

After his morning win, Schuster placed fourth in the afternoon event with rides of 427 feet and 446 feet.

Schuster, 20, is the son of Austrian coach Werner Schuster, who claimed three titles at Pine Mountain as a jumper more than 30 years ago. In 1991, he broke the 400-foot barrier at Giant Pine, setting a hill record that stood for five years.

Eisenbichler, 32, has competed mostly on the World Cup circuit since 2017. He placed fifth in the large hill competition at the 2022 Winter Olympic games in Beijing and eighth in the normal hill event at the 2018 games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

His first visit to Pine Mountain was in 2009 at age 17 when he finished 23rd and 24th. He returned in 2012, placing second, and in 2014, finishing 22nd and 39th. Ten years — and two Olympics — later, Eisenbichler has his first title at Giant Pine.

The top U.S. finisher today was Jason Colby of Steamboat Springs, Colo., who placed 16th in the morning event with rides of 438 feet and 392 feet. There were 36 jumpers in the field.

The longest official ride in the 85-year history of Pine Mountain was 472 feet by Austria’s Clemens Aigner in 2020.