Germany Wins World Championship Gold Despite Dramatic Fall!

Originally published in Sport1 on March 07, 2025

German WM Fairytale Despite Fall

The DSV quartet from Oberstdorf has won ahead of Austria. Norway takes bronze after a disqualification.

Image 1: The future of Nordic combined is more uncertain than ever: not only is its Olympic future being debated, but climate change is also challenging winter sports. However, Nordic combined has already taken measures.

The German combined team clinched gold in the team event at the WM in Trondheim. The quartet, including Johannes Rydzek, Wendelin Thannheimer, Julian Schmid, and anchor Vinzenz Geiger, won in a thrilling race ahead of Austria.

Norway, with star Jarl Magnus Riiber, ended up in third after a disqualification due to an invalid jump from Jörgen Graabak.

“I Still Can’t Wrap My Head Around This”

“We will celebrate properly,” coach Eric Frenzel happily told ARD. “I can’t wrap my head around this yet; my heart is still racing. It was incredibly thrilling. (...) I tip my hat to everyone.”

Geiger predicted a big party ahead: “I think tomorrow will be a blast. We have another race tomorrow. Right now, we are enjoying this, and soon, we will celebrate in full swing.”

Norway Set Back by Disqualification

Top contender Norway was actually leading after the jumps but was disqualified when Graabak’s bindings did not comply with regulations, dropping them to fifth place.

On the course, a fierce contest developed between Germany and Austria for gold. Rydzek fell, lost his glasses, and handed over to Thannheimer with a 13-second deficit. The first-time WM participant held the gap steady and delivered his task excellently.

Schmid overtook Martin Fritz and passed Geiger a 6.6-second lead over Fabio Obermeyr for the last five kilometers. Just before the end, both were neck and neck, but Geiger unleashed a decisive attack on the last hill, sprinting to gold.

“I Knew: The Last Ascent Was Mine Today”

“The Austrian got off to a strong start, but I knew: the last hill was mine today. I implemented that,” explained Geiger about his final sprint.

For the German Ski Federation (DSV), it was the first gold of the championships in Norway. Previously, the combined team had won silver three times in a row, with the last title being in 2017.

Back then, Rydzek was also part of the team, capturing his seventh WM title, putting him on par with the German record holders Katharina Schmid (ski jumping) and Frenzel (combined).