Germany’s top combined athlete Vinzenz Geiger secured victory in the individual compact race thanks to a fantastic running performance in Seefeld. He sprinted to success from tenth place.
Vinzenz Geiger from Oberstdorf won the Seefeld Triple last year. The triple is one of the most prestigious races in this prestigious sport of Nordic combination – and the record winner is the German national coach Eric Frenzel with four successes in Austria’s winter sports resort. Even the Norwegian dominator Jarl Magnus Riiber only won there three times.
The Seefeld triple suits the Germans and they are good for podium places there again this year. Geiger confirmed this in a convincing manner on Saturday (January 31, 2026) at the Individual Compact Race: He raced down the last descent in fourth place – behind Johannes Lamparter, Stefan Rettenegger and Jens Luraas Oftebro. But then he overtook one after the other and secured success on the home straight.
Geiger gets revenge for the day before
Geiger has now taken the overall lead in the Seefeld Triple and could triumph for the second time in a row. Behind the Allgäu native, the Austrian Lamparter came second and Oftebro from Norway came third.
For Geiger it was also a little revenge, as the day before the ÖSV athletes Lamparter and Rettenegger took the top places. The second best German on Saturday was Johannes Rydzek in eighth place, Richard Stenzel was eleventh directly ahead of Julian Schmid.
Success good news before the Olympics – jumping form is still missing
Geiger’s success is also good news for the coming weeks. Directly before the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, the triple is also a final test of form before the highlight of the season.
It was noticeable on Saturday afternoon that the DSV team was at the top in terms of running, as it has been for years, but was a few meters away from the top when it came to jumping.
Geiger is catching up on the trail second by second
Because after the jumping at midday, Rettenegger, who had already come second the day before, was in the lead. Lamparter started the race in second place, just six seconds behind. The best German on the hill was Wendelin Thannheimer, who did not make it into the Olympic squad, in seventh place.
Geiger in particular, tenth in the morning, showed again how strong he is on the cross-country ski trail. He started the race more than 30 seconds behind, but then caught up with the ÖSV duo second by second. And after just five kilometers he was at the top. There, with the remaining three athletes in tow, he collected the last grains for his furious final sprint.
