The Nordic World Ski Championships will be held in Slovenia from February 21st to March 6th. New world champions are crowned in cross-country skiing, ski jumping and Nordic combined. Germany is also sending title contenders into the race.
In cross-country skiing, women in particular should have a good chance of winning a medal at the World Championships. At the Olympic Games in Beijing 2022, the women’s team surprised with a sensational Olympic victory in the team sprint and the silver medal in the 4×5 km relay.
The DSV quartet showed in the current World Cup season that a top placing in the relay is not a flash in the pan when the team finished second. However, a reporting error in the line-up resulted in the subsequent disqualification of the cross-country ensemble. Nevertheless, Katharina Hennig, Sofie Krehl, Pia Fink, Katherine Sauerbrey, Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek are in good form. A world championship medal is definitely within reach. However, they have to assert themselves against strong Norwegians.
Cross-country skier Katharina Hennig is capable of anything
With Katharina Hennig, the DSV has a medal hope again in the individual disciplines. The Saxon celebrated two historic successes this winter: Hennig finished the Tour de Ski in fifth place and thus as the best German in the history of the cross-country stage race. A short time later she celebrated her first World Cup victory over 15 kilometers in Val di Fiemme, ending the DSV’s eight-year dry spell.
In the distance races in particular, Hennig, with seventh place in the overall World Cup as the best German athlete, is within striking distance at the World Championships. After the resignation of dominator Therese Johaug after the Olympic Games, Frida Karlsson may now be a Swede in this discipline. The Tour de Ski winner is definitely one of the favorites in the distance races, as is distance World Cup leader Kerttu Niskanen of Finland and all-rounders Jessica Diggins of the USA and Tiril Udnes Weng of Norway.
Among the men there is a clear contender for the title in the all-rounder Johannes Hösflot Kläbo. The Norwegian has dominated the various disciplines for years. His closest pursuer is compatriot Paal Goldberg. The hopes of the German men lie in Friedrich Moch. The 22-year-old ranks eighth in the distance World Cup, but has yet to make it onto the podium.
Ski jumping: Andreas Wellinger as a beacon of hope
In ski jumping, the top is close together, with Halvor Egnar Granerud (Norway) being the lighthouse. Austria’s Stefan Kraft, Slovenia’s Anze Lanisek and Poland’s Dawid Kubacki are also in good form.
The German ski jumpers around Karl Geiger and Markus Eisenbichler have been looking for form this winter. Andreas Wellinger now seems to have found it: In Lake Placid and Rasnov he convinced with his second and third World Cup victory since 2017.
Katharina Althaus starts as a favourite
The medal chances are significantly better for the German ski jumpers. With six World Cup victories and three other podium finishes this season, Katharina Althaus is one of the top favorites for the World Championship titles on both hills. After a silver medal at the World Championships last year, Althaus is aiming for gold this year. With two podium places already, Selina Freitag has also stalked her way up to the top of the world and at least has outsider chances.
In the team disciplines, the DSV eagles can also win medals. Both the men’s and women’s teams have already climbed to the podium this season. There were even two bronze medals in the mixed relay. The top favorites are the teams from Austria and Norway. For the men you have to have Poles on your list, for the women the Slovenes.
Nordic combined: Julian Schmid in top form
Johannes Lamparter won six of the nine races that have taken place in Nordic Combined since the beginning of the year. The chances of a medal for the Austrian and leader of the general classification are high, especially because the real “King of Nordic Skiing” and four-time winner of the general classification, Jarl Magnus Riiber, is struggling with health and mental problems.
It’s unclear if the Norwegian will actually be in shape for the World Cup due to a parasite infection, and his grandparents recently died within hours.
While Riiber is going through difficult times, Julian Schmid is enjoying high-altitude flights: with three wins and four other podium finishes, the German showed consistent performances throughout the season. Above all, the triumph in front of a home crowd in Oberstdorf should have given him self-confidence. For a medal, Schmid will probably have to prevail against the Norwegian Jens Luraas Oftebro and Franz-Josef-Rehrl from Austria. Vinzenz Geiger – one win of the season and four podium places – is also one of the extended favorites.
Does talent surprise crossbowmen?
The DSV can also hope for a medal in the combined events: Behind the big title favorite Gyda Westvold Hansen from Norway, who has won every race of the winter so far, the German athlete Nathalie Armbruster made it onto the podium in six of the seven races.
New combination discipline for the first time at the World Championships
There will also be a premiere at the Nordic World Ski Championships: the mixed team in Nordic combined is new to the program and may be another competition in which German combined athletes can score.
Despite comparatively poor overall performances in the current winter, the DSV can hope for World Championship medals, because some German athletes are in top form just in time for the season highlight.