In the mass start race in Ruka, Vinzenz Geiger is just ahead. Now the Olympic champion has to maintain his lead on the hill.
Will there be the first German World Cup victory in the Nordic Combined in the third attempt? In the mass start race on Sunday in icy Ruka, Vinzenz Geiger won ahead of Jörgen Graabak and Johannes Rydzek.
Geiger leads – is that enough to win the day?
However, the distances are extremely close. Geiger, who had problems on the hill on Friday and Saturday, is only 0.6 seconds ahead of his two pursuers. All three delivered a final sprint in the last meters of the ten kilometers.
The mass start is the third variant to be run this weekend in Ruka, Finland. Normally the start is with jumping, but on Sunday the order will be swapped. This represents an advantage for the strong jumpers, as it is difficult for the athletes to break away from the main field after the mass start and get a big lead.
Four Germans have their sights set on the podium
Overall, the DSV team around new coach Erik Frenzel is in a good starting position for jumping on the large hill at midday (1:35 p.m.). Julian Schmid in sixth (1.6 seconds behind) and Manuel Faißt in eleventh (5.9 seconds) are still within striking distance of Geiger.
The inexperienced Wendelin Thannheimer (15th place), David Mach (16th) and Tristan Sommerfeldt (18th) are also doing well, only the strong jumper Terrence Weber is already more than a minute behind in 33rd place.
No German podium on Friday and Saturday
On Saturday Weber, who confirmed his good performance from Friday and sailed to 142.5 meters, was third in the pursuit after jumping, but then fell back. Meanwhile, Julian Schmid ran past Weber in the Gundersen race (classic technique on the cross-country ski trail) and was the best German in fifth place.
Geiger managed to gain a good starting position on both days. The Oberstdorfer, who was still in poor health, was unable to reach the top ranks after weaker jumps. On Sunday he will be the last to leave the Bakken.
Rydzek fourth in the “Compact Race”
On Friday, at the premiere of the newly introduced “Compact Race”, Rydzek narrowly missed making it onto the podium after a strong comeback in fourth place. Norway’s Jens Luras Oftebro secured victory ahead of his compatriots Riiber and Graabak.