The mixed competition in Nordic combined was canceled after 13 jumps and is scheduled to start again at 12:30 p.m.
After spring-like temperatures and sunshine, a change in the weather on Sunday (February 26th, 2023) made for difficult conditions at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica. 17 centimeters of fresh snow and extremely variable winds brought beads of sweat to the foreheads of the organizers and athletes. The athletes had to exercise patience because the jury had to interrupt the competition constantly at the beginning.
After the first group of women, Japan led ahead of Austria and Germany. DSV start jumper Jenny Nowak landed at 85 meters without wind support, but received many bonus points and was satisfied with her jump.
Pittin and Watabe fall
In the first group of men, Alessandro Pittin (Italy) and Akito Watabe (Japan) fell. Both had flown exactly 95.5 meters, but could not stand the jump in the dull snow in the outrun. While Pittin initially appeared unhurt, Watabe left the stadium with a sore hand.
After the fresh snow overnight, the run had not been optimally prepared. As a result, numerous athletes fell during the rehearsal.
Kuttin for postponement to Monday
After a short deliberation, the jury decided to cancel the competition and restart the mixed decision at 12:30 p.m. Germany’s jump coach Heinz Kuttin would prefer a postponement to Monday (02/27/2023). “We’re not talking about fairness, we’re talking about danger.”, he said on ZDF. He doesn’t believe that the snow in the outlet will be cleared in such a short time.
The 4 x 5 km cross-country skiing is to start at 3 p.m. In Nordic Combined, World Championship medals are awarded in the mixed competition for the first time. In addition to Nowak, DSV nominated Vinzenz Geiger, Julian Schmid and Nathalie Armbruster for the premiere.