Nordic Combined: Geiger Unbeatable Again

Stand: 09.02.2025 14:36

Vinzenz Geiger celebrated a dream weekend at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Otepää, Estonia. After his victory on Saturday, he also won the Individual Compact event on Sunday ahead of top favorite Jarl Magnus Riiber – all during the World Championship general rehearsal. Julian Schmid finished third.

Already during the ski jump, Geiger impressed with a jump of 100 meters. In the cross-country leg, he started second with a six-second deficit to Riiber. The two favorites engaged in a long head-to-head race. Typically content to trail in a steady pacing behind the Norwegian, this time the 27-year-old from the Allgäu launched his overtaking maneuver about 1.5 kilometers from the finish. This marked his sixth victory this season, while Riiber now has five.

Julian Schmid, who was fifth after the jump, managed to climb onto the podium in third place. Wendelin Thannheimer produced a major surprise; the Oberstdorfer was only twelve seconds behind Riiber at the start of the cross-country section and maintained a strong performance, achieving the best World Cup result of his career by finishing fourth.

Johannes Rydzek, despite ranking only twelfth after the jump, showed a strong cross-country performance to finish seventh. Terrence Weber came in eighth, David Mach twelfth, Manuel Faißt 28th, and Tristan Sommerfeldt ended in 33rd place.

The competition in Otepää was particularly important for the German team as it served as the final test before the World Championships in Trondheim (27.02. - 08.03.). So far, only Geiger and Schmid have been confirmed, with fierce internal competition taking place behind the scenes.