A well thought-out attack on the final round secured the gold medal for the young German combined athletes at the Junior World Championships in Whistler. The DSV talents Richard Stenzel, Pepe Schula, Benedikt Graebert and Tristan Sommerfeldt kept the competition from Norway and Austria at a distance.
After Tristan Sommerfeldt’s arrival at the finish line, the jubilation of the DSV juniors knew no bounds.
The World Championship gold medal at the Junior World Championships in Whistler is the deserved reward for the German four-man team around Sommerfeldt, Richard Stenzel, Pepe Schula and Benedikt Graebert, who prevailed in an exciting combined competition ahead of Norway and Austria.
Sommerfeldt waited for his attack until the last steep climb, then he struck. The 20-year-old German anchor passed Andreas Ottesen from Norway and Severin Reiter from Austria. Ottesen ultimately brought home silver for Norway, while Reiter secured the bronze medal for Austria.
Norway dominates the jumping at the World Championships, DSV talents hold against it
In the opening legs, the juniors from Germany, Norway and Austria were neck and neck, with the Norwegians initially in the lead. However, Germany and Austria were able to catch up quickly.
After the jumping, Norway had led the team competition and had a 16 second lead. Ottesen presented a strong jump of 99 meters. The Austrian rider (83.5 meters) initially positioned his team in seventh place, DSV talent Graebert grabbed second place with 95 meters.
In the second starter group, the Austrian Samuel Lev caught up with a 101-meter jump, Schula held up well with 98 meters. In the third starting group, the Austrian Paul Walcher and the Norwegian Eidar Johan Stroem convinced with 102 meters each. Ultimately, Austria and Germany went into the relay race at the same time – with a better end for the DSV.