Mattéo Baud Achieves First Podium in Nordic Combined World Cup

In the second Nordic combined event at Ruka, Finland, held on Sunday, November 27, 2022, French athlete Mattéo Baud, aged 20, secured second place, finishing behind Norway's Jarl Magnus Riiber. This achievement marks Baud's first podium in the World Cup series.

Previously, Baud had been performing steadily throughout the weekend, finishing 11th on Friday and 7th on Saturday. His breakthrough performance comes after not having ranked higher than 13th before this event, highlighting a significant leap in his competitive standing.

Baud's excellent jumping skills were evident as he managed to jump 145 meters, sharing the second-best jump with Riiber and being only behind Stefan Seidl. His performance was amplified by the unique competition format that featured a mass start for the cross-country ski segment followed by a ski jump.

This result not only adds prestige to Baud's young career but also rejuvenates the spotlight on French Nordic combined skiing. He now stands fifth in the overall World Cup standings, just 50 points behind Ryota Yamamoto, who currently holds third place.

Baud's success is reminiscent of French Nordic combined history, with the last podium finish being achieved by François Braud in March 2017.