Armbruster Celebrates After Comeback

Nordic Combined: Armbruster Celebrates After Comeback

Updated: 08.02.2025 18:51

Nathalie Armbruster reached the podium at the World Cup event in Estonia. In Otepää on Saturday, 08 February 2025, after a rather moderate jump performance, she made significant upturns on the cross-country course. However, the victory went to Norway’s Ida Marie Hagen, who solidified her status as the best skier on the day.

Armbruster started the race in seventh place, trailing the leader by 42 seconds. With the 5 km cross-country leg being a steep challenge, her third career win on this distance almost seemed unattainable—especially since Hagen, the field’s strongest skier, had already set a fast pace. Ultimately, the Norwegian competitor pulled away decisively and, despite a slight stumble on the final straight that cost her a few points, she secured her seventh win of the season. For Armbruster, the goal was to finish at least third; she achieved this by outpacing Japan’s Yuna Kasai in the final sprint.

In addition, DSV’s Maria Gerboth climbed into the top ten, finishing eighth with a 1:33.9 minute deficit behind Hagen. Jenny Nowak—who had already celebrated a podium finish in Friday’s mass start—ended up in 15th place, 2:43.5 minutes behind. With this performance, Armbruster maintained her overall World Cup lead with 885 points, 72 points ahead of Haruka Kasai, while Hagen trailed by 103 points.

Jumping in Adverse Conditions

The athletes faced difficult wind conditions on the Tehvandi ski jump at Otepää. The free-standing, unprotected structure in Estonia meant that the wind could rapidly become a problem, causing delays and forcing several competitors to wait before their jump. Even when conditions slightly improved, inconsistent gusts often resulted in shorter-than-ideal jumps. For example, Finnish Petra Torvinen had to land after merely 51 meters – over 40 meters behind the leader.

World Cup leader Armbruster did not manage her best jump; she was slightly late at the take-off table and her landing wavered, resulting in point deductions and placing her only in seventh position for the jump segment. In contrast, Japanese Haruka Kasai recorded the longest jump of 96 meters and was the first to enter the cross-country course.

Mishaps on the Landing

Before Armbruster—who had taken over the overall lead last week with her victory at the Seefeld Triple—Maria Gerboth completed her jump (starting five seconds ahead of her teammate). Jenny Nowak, who wavered significantly in the air, ended up in 13th place with a delay of 1:49 minutes.

Additionally, Sophia Maurus was disqualified for wearing an oversized suit, while Cindy Haasch, following her fifth-place finish in the mass start the previous day, experienced a frightening moment when she lost balance during take-off and fell onto her left side. After receiving brief treatment, Haasch was stretchered off the course while complaining of pain in her left knee. However, head coach Eric Frenzel confirmed that her cruciate ligament was not injured.

Watch Video: Nordic Combined – Ski Jumping Re-Live in Otepää