Nordic combined

Lamparter misses Seefeld podium – Geiger wins

Johannes Lamparter(Bild: GEPA)

The Seefeld Nordic Combined Triple produced a first-time winner on Sunday! Vinzenz Geiger won the traditional men's event for the first time. He beat the Norwegians Jarl Magnus Riiber and Jens Luraas Oftebro in the final 12.5 km cross-country race of the Gundersen competition in the final sprint. The Tyrolean Johannes Lamparter tore off shortly before the finish and finished fifth ...

The three-time triple winner and record World Cup winner Riiber, who is retiring at the end of the season, started the race half a minute ahead of Lamparter in third place. The Finn Ilkka Herola (+39 sec.), Geiger (+41) and Oftebro (+58) started behind him. In the fourth of five laps, the four chasers caught up with Riiber. Lamparter did a lot of leading work from then on, 700 meters before the finish he launched an attack - but it backfired. The ÖSV athlete was overtaken in the downhill and then ran out of energy.

Lamparter: "It wasn't meant to be"
 "I gave it a go. It's annoying that it didn't work out," said Lamparter, who finished 10.6 seconds behind the winner. "I was in good shape, it didn't want to be. It didn't work out for me, they then shoot past me left and right on the downhill - annoying." Salzburg's Stefan (+39.1) and Thomas Rettenegger (+46.9) and Styrian Franz-Josef Rehrl (+58.4) ensured a strong ÖSV team result with seventh to ninth place. The Styrians Martin Fritz (+1:21.0) and Fabio Obermeyr (+1:29.1) finished 14th and 17th respectively.

It is Geiger's 14th World Cup victory and his fourth this season. Before that, he had also triumphed once each in Ruka, Lillehammer and Ramsau. "I tried to improve from day to day. I think I've succeeded," said the 27-year-old. "I had to learn yesterday that you can't go into the downhill in first place, but I managed that today." His lead over Riiber was two tenths and four tenths over Oftebro. "I will always remember today in Seefeld," said overall World Cup leader Riiber.