COC: Tiller wins season opener in Ruka

Originally published in FIS on December 15, 2024

FIS | COC: Tiller wins season opener in Ruka

In Ruka’s winter wonderland marked by biting cold temperatures of -17°C, Norway’s Simen Tiller emerged victorious in the men’s first FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup event of the 2024-25 season. The Individual Gundersen, held on the iconic Rukatunturi HS142 hill and surrounding ski tracks, provided a thrilling kick-off to the COC season.

Kolb dominates Ski Jumping round

The day began with an impressive Ski Jumping round. Austria’s Florian Kolb soared to the longest jump of the day, covering a remarkable 140.5 meters and earning 165.9 points to take the lead. Norwegian Simen Tiller followed closely with a solid 139-meter jump, scoring 163.1 points and starting the 10 km Individual Gundersen race just 11 seconds behind Kolb. Germany’s Richard Stenzel claimed third place with a jump of 138 meters and 162 points, positioning himself 16 seconds off the leader.

We had extremely nice conditions on the hill with no wind at all and also the snow conditions were great for cross-country. But it was just cold, extremely cold!– Simen Tiller (NOR), Winner

As the competition shifted to the grueling 10 km cross-country race, the frigid conditions tested the athletes’ endurance and determination. Kolb, despite his strong start, was unable to maintain his lead against the relentless pursuit of the chasing pack. Tiller, Stenzel, and Norway’s Andreas Ottesen, who climbed from fifth position after Ski Jumping, formed a leading group as they entered the final lap.

The decisive sprint finish saw Tiller outpace Stenzel by a narrow margin of 2.8 seconds, claiming the top spot and the honor of the first Continental Cup win of the season. Stenzel secured second place for Germany, while Ottesen rounded out the podium, finishing just 4.4 seconds behind Tiller.

Austria’s Fabio Obermeyr delivered the fastest cross-country time of the day, completing the 10 km course in 24:32 minutes. His exceptional performance propelled him from 22nd place after the Ski Jumping round to a respectable 12th place overall.

All results can be found in the FIS Calendar.