Riiber Wins After Retirement Announcement – Schmid Finishes Fifth

Jarl Magnus Riiber has once again triumphed in Nordic combined. The defending champion from Norway celebrated his 77th World Cup win at the start of the three-day Seefeld Triple event.

Only two days after announcing his retirement due to Morbus Crohn, Riiber demonstrated his extraordinary ability by taking control of the mass start competition. After leading the cross-country portion, he secured victory in his signature discipline – ski jumping – with an impressive jump of 109.0 meters, finishing ahead of former world champion Johannes Lamparter (Austria) and Jens Luraas Oftebro (Norway).

By winning the Triple for the fourth time overall, Riiber would surpass the record set by his former idol Eric Frenzel. Frenzel himself praised Riiber, calling him one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Nordic combined athletes of all time.

In the German team’s performance, World Championship runner-up Julian Schmid was the best, finishing fifth. Other German athletes, including Olympian Vinzenz Geiger (seventh), Manuel Faißt (ninth), and veteran Johannes Rydzek (tenth), also reached the top ten.

For the first time at the Triple, the women competed as well. World Championship silver medalist Nathalie Armbruster delivered an impressive performance, finishing third. The 19-year-old vice world champion was only edged out by series winner Ida Marie Hagen and double world champion Gyda Westvold Hansen, both from Norway. Armbruster expressed her excitement, calling the event "megacool" and noting that it represented a step towards equality, with hopes that it will eventually be included in the Olympics.

Unlike in previous years, the athletes will carry their time advantages into the following day. Saturday’s program includes compact races, with the overall Triple trophy decision to be made on Sunday using the classic Gundersen format.