French Team Finishes Far Behind in Normal Hill at Beijing Olympics

Nordic Combined: French Team Finishes Far Behind in Normal Hill at Beijing Olympics

Matteo Baud ranked 18th in the normal hill event at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday. Laurent Muhlethaler finished 28th and Gaël Blondeau, 31st.

Initially positioned 12th after the ski jumping portion, Baud ultimately finished 18th (+2'01"3) following the 10 km cross-country skiing, which was his first individual race of the Beijing Games. "I'm quite happy with my day overall," he stated. "My race was more than acceptable, I was in the top 15 throughout the race, I just lacked a bit at the end. Given the beginning of the season, I couldn't have hoped for better. An 18th place at the Olympics for my first race is a good stepping stone for what’s next."

Muhlethaler crossed the line in 28th place (+3'18"9), while Blondeau finished 31st (+3'35"6). Due to a disqualification for a torn suit, Antoine Gérard was not able to compete after the ski jump. "It was tough on the skis; I didn't feel great, no power in my legs," explained Blondeau regarding his performance. "It's hard to be satisfied, but it was my first Olympic day, so I’ll still go home happy about that experience, although I would have preferred to feel better."

The gold was clinched by Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger, with Norway's Joergen Graabak (+0"8) and Austria's Lukas Greiderer (+6"6) close behind. The competition was fiercely contested in the last lap, where it initially appeared that Johannes Rydzek would dominate. He distanced Julian Schmid early in the climb, but Geiger caught up in the final 500 meters, securing the win just in front of Graabak who made a fierce attempt to comeback in the last sprint.

Notably, top competitors like Jarl Magnus Riiber from Norway and Eric Frenzel of Germany were absent from the competition due to positive COVID-19 tests.