A tight battle ahead - Ruka Nordic opens the men’s Nordic Combined world cup

November 28 at 1:15 PM. The day continues at 4:15 PM with a 7.5-kilometre cross-country race in the individual compact format.

On Saturday, ski jumping starts at 11:15 AM followed by a 10-kilometre race using the Gundersen method.

On the final competition day, Sunday, the athletes will set off at 10:00 AM with a mass start, and the Nordic combined weekend will culminate in the ski-jumping segment at 2:00 PM.

Nordic combined, one of the most interesting disciplines of the upcoming winter sports season, is expected to be very evenly matched according to forecasts — a view also shared by FIS Nordic Combined Race Director Lasse Ottesen.

“The tightest Nordic Combined World Cup overall competition in history,” Ottesen describes.

Adding to the unpredictability is the absence of the top two finishers from last season’s overall World Cup. The sport’s undisputed leading athlete of recent years, last year’s runner-up Jarl-Magnus Riiber, ended his career after last season due to developing Crohn’s disease. Germany’s Vinzent Geiger, last year’s overall World Cup winner, injured his leg and is unable to compete in Ruka.

Ruka Nordic is an excellent opportunity to set the tone for the upcoming Olympic winter. For example, Johannes Lamparter, Jens Luraas Oftebro, Ilkka Herola and Julian Schmid are all potential contenders for a World Cup event victory.

Ruka has been experiencing strong winds, adding extra uncertainty to the ski-jumping segments.

Teksti: Konsta Mervelä
Kuva: Laajasalon Opisto