Vinzenz Geiger is considered one of the best athletes in the combined circuit scene. The 24-year-old from the Allgäu would have imagined the start of his second Olympic Games differently. Although his corona tests, unlike those of his two teammates Eric Frenzel and Terence Weber, were negative on arrival, as a contact person he was separated from the rest of the team and had to train individually. “The last few days have been pretty psycho, but I felt really good today,” Geiger had already said after jumping on the ZDF microphone.
In the subsequent run, the man from Oberstdorf underlined this impression in an impressive manner. Thanks to a sensational final sprint, he won the gold medal for the combined athletes, who were hit by Corona.
Rydzek actually favoured
After a mixed jump, Geiger started the cross-country ski run in eleventh place. Team colleague Johannes Rydzek, who had laid the foundation for a possible triumph with 104 meters, was traded much higher at this point. And indeed, the 30-year-old led the field for a long time.
43 seconds separated the man from the Allgäu from the leading Japanese Ryota Yamamoto. After two and a half kilometers Rydzek had already caught up with Yamamoto together with his teammate Julian Schmid and the Austrian Lukas Greiderer. Together with Greiderer, the two Germans set the pace in the freezing -12 degrees in Zhangjiakou. After 7.5 kilometers Rydzek kept going. While Greiderer initially stayed on, Schmid had to let it go. The 22-year-old finished eighth at his first Olympic Games.
Happy ending after chaotic days
As a result, the Austrian also found it increasingly difficult, everything looked like gold for Rydzek – until Vinzenz Geiger started his grandiose final sprint. On the last climb he shot past Rydzek and his competitors like unleashed – in the finish sprint he didn’t give Norwegian Jörgen Graabak, who finished second, any chance.
For Geiger, it was the big happy ending after chaotic days in isolation. “The organization here is pretty miserable”, he scolded just before the race. The confusion started for him on Sunday when Geiger was supposed to be taken to training in a shuttle. “But the driver didn’t know where the hill was. At some point he wanted to let me out on my snowboard. I knocked on the window but he didn’t check. After more than an hour I was at the hill, actually it would be five minutes “he said annoyed.
Frenzel sends greetings from quarantine
Shortly after the race and the sensational win of the gold medal, Geiger showed himself to be relaxed: “I don’t know exactly how it worked. It’s incredible,” said Geiger freed on ZDF. “The material was incredibly good, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a good ski”explained Geiger and praised the technical team.
Eric Frenzel, who, like Terence Weber, is still in quarantine, sent congratulations via Instagram shortly after the race. “How cool. I congratulate you, what a hammer race”wrote Frenzel on the social platform.