Vinzenz Geiger ensured the next coup for the resurgent German combined teams and stormed to the third win of the season for the DSV team. In the final race in Lillehammer, the Beijing Olympic champion triumphed in the finish sprint ahead of his Oberstdorf club colleague Julian Schmid. The duo even made Norway’s top star Jarl Magnus Riiber look old in a group of three.
Geiger was ahead of Schmid in the “Compact” competition with one jump and 7.5 km on the cross-country ski trail in a thrilling photo decision, who continued the German podium series on Saturday with second place behind Riiber. At least one German was on the podium in each of the five races of the season, and national coach Eric Frenzel’s team now has ten top-three finishes – in the entire 2023/24 season they only managed four podium places.
Riiber, who took over the yellow jersey of the World Cup leader from Geiger on Saturday with his 75th World Cup victory, was 1.9 seconds behind at the finish. Manuel Faißt (Baiersbronn) finished eighth. Johannes Rydzek, the first German winner of the season in Kuusamo, fought his way up from 26th place to eleventh.