This start makes you want more: The only 16-year-old Nathalie Armbruster ran straight onto the podium at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Lillehammer.
The German Nordic combined Nathalie Armbruster started the new World Cup season with an exclamation mark. At the start in Lillehammer, the 16-year-old finished third on the podium (+1:29.60 minutes). Victory once again went to the reigning overall World Cup winner Gyda Westvold Hansen from Norway, second was the Italian Annika Sief (+1:11.50).
Jenny Nowak, best German last season, was sixth (+2:11.20). Magdalena Burger just missed the top ten with eleventh place. Svenja Würth, Cindy Haasch and Maria Gerboth finished 14th, 19th and 21st.
Armbruster takes third place – Nowak has to be demolished
After a jump of 92 meters in the morning, Armbruster started fourth in the 5-kilometer race. Her gap to Hansen was already 75 seconds. However, the podium was only two seconds away. Nowak started with a mortgage of 1:38 minutes to the front directly behind.
As expected, Armbruster lost a few seconds on Hansen. After the first of two laps she was able to take third place from Lisa Hirner from Austria. Nowak, on the other hand, had to let go and lost position after position. Among others, Ida Marie Hansen, who quickly moved up from tenth to fifth place and put pressure on Armbruster.
Hansen Safe to Victory – Crossbowmen with a strong finish
The Norwegian also made a lot of meters afterwards, so that the lead continued to shrink. Hansen was already running a lonely race at the front. Thanks to her jump over 101 meters, the Norwegian had a twelve-second lead over Sieff. The Italian couldn’t keep up early on. So the victory for Hansen was a matter of form, Sieff was sure to come in second.
Winner in Lillehammer: Gyda Westvold Hansen
But behind them, the last remaining podium place was still hard fought. Armbruster had the best reserves, picked up the pace in the last few meters and tore the decisive gap to her pursuers. That should be enough to finally cross the finish line as the third athlete.
Protest against IOC decision
Before the race, the athletes had again protested against the IOC’s decision that the women’s combined was not included in the program of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Shortly before the start signal, all the athletes stopped, raised their ski poles in the air and formed them into an “X” – as a symbol for the “no eXeption” campaign.