Germans Were Strong Again in the Cross-Country Segment – Geiger Concluded a Great Weekend

The 10 km mass start in the combined event that kicked off Sunday’s competition was a showcase for the Germans. The day before, the Germans had claimed the entire podium in the 10 km Gundersen competition, with Johannes Rydzek, Julian Schmid, and Vinzenz Geiger delighting German fans with a sweep. These same German ski giants continued where they left off, once again taking a clean sweep in the cross-country segment, setting themselves up for excellent positions in the ski jumping portion later in the afternoon. This time, the first to cross the finish line was Julian Schmid, who had finished second in the previous day’s competition. Less than a second behind him was Geiger, who beat Rydzek by 0.1 seconds. Austria’s Johannes Lamparter, who finished fourth, was only 0.1 seconds behind Rydzek. The entire top four finished less than a second apart.

Estonia’s Kristjan Ilves, who had struggled, finally had a breakthrough, crossing the finish line seventh, 3.8 seconds behind the leader. Norway’s star Jarl Magnus Riiber faded in the final sprint and ultimately finished tenth, 6.6 seconds behind the leader. Finland’s best performer was once again Ilkka Herola, who finished in 13th place, just over eight seconds behind the winner.

Geiger Takes the Victory, Riiber Back on the Podium

In the misty conditions of the ski jumping segment, Geiger continued his strong weekend, jumping 133.5 meters and securing his third podium finish of the weekend, winning with a margin of just over a point over Norway’s Riiber, who returned to the podium after his fourth-place finish the day before. Germany’s Manuel Faisst took third place. The biggest surprise in the jumping segment came from Austria’s Franz-Josef Rehrl, who was in 40th place after the cross-country portion but made an incredible 145-meter jump, rising an impressive 36 spots to finish in fourth.

Julian Schmid, who had won the cross-country segment, jumped 130.5 meters, earning him fifth place. Ilkka Herola was the best Finn in 21st place with a jump of 116 meters. Eemeli Kurttila was 55th overall but made an impressive 132-meter jump in the ski jumping segment.

Text: Santeri Kulhoranta