Olympic champion Vinzenz Geiger gave the German combined athletes the longed-for podium place with a fabulous comeback at their home game in the Black Forest.
On Sunday, the Oberstdorfer stormed from 17th place to the podium in the “Compact” race in Schonach and secured a third place that was no longer thought possible. Given the mediocre jumping performance, this was the absolute maximum for the German team.
After a brilliant final lap, Geiger only had to admit defeat to the Austrian Johannes Lamparter and Norway’s top star Jarl Magnus Riiber on the white snow band in the green Black Forest. After a jump and an 8 km cross-country ski run with fixed distances, former world champion Lamparter prevailed after the jump placings with a lead of 5.1 seconds over World Cup leader Riiber, who is currently not reaching his full potential on the cross-country ski trail after major health problems can retrieve.
Schmid also in the top 10
Geiger was able to more than halve his deficit and was ultimately 24.3 seconds behind. The three-time season winner had already been the best German on Saturday when he finished fifth when Norwegian Jens Luraas Oftebro won.
Behind Geiger, only Julian Schmid finished in tenth place in the top 10 on Sunday. Around five weeks before the start of the World Cup in Trondheim, the Germans are a little behind their top form in the weeks up to the Christmas break.
Nothing worked for Johannes Rydzek on Sunday: The six-time world champion, who fought his way back to the top of the world this winter, didn’t get past 35th place on Saturday due to illness and had to miss out completely on Sunday.