Back to World Cup: the race is on in Lahti

With the way the Olympic Games developed, the actual dynamic of the 2017/18 season has almost been forgotten but after the German medal spree at PyeongChang, the World Cup now returns to the 2017 World Championship venue of Lahti.

Newly minted Olympic Champion Johannes Rydzek went on a similar gold medal spree there last year but the big question that everybody in the Nordic Combined world is asking right now is if the German team can keep up their onslaught on the podiums or if World Cup leaders Akito Watabe and Jan Schmid will step it up again.

In Lahti, a Team Sprint and an Individual Gundersen event are on schedule, the rest of the season features seven more individual events. With 800 World Cup points still up for grabs and Watabe holding a 405-point advantage on Rydzek and 513 points on Frenzel, the German prospects look like an uphill battle but after the past Olympics, there are only few things that seem impossible for the German superstars.

As reported by Japanese media, World Cup leader Akito Watabe had injured his rib in a fall in his home venue of Hakuba once more and had to compete in constant pain in PyeongChang. The few extra days of rest will probably have done him good, as they will for this closest pursuer, Jan Schmid from Norway, who fell ill right before the Olympics.

Also still in the mix for the overall are Norway’s Jørgen Graabak, who is trailing Watabe with 377 points, as well as German silver medallist Fabian Rießle, who holds just one point less.

Lahti will now provide the first pointers towards an exciting end of the season. Excellent snow conditions and very cold temperatures that go into minus double digits are awaiting the athletes but this, all Olympic starters should be used to from the first week in PyeongChang. Nordic Combined World Cup, we are back!

The program (local time = CET + 1h)

Timetable subject to change, please check back here!

Friday, 02.03.

12:00 Official training HS 130

14:00 Provisional Competition Round/Qualification HS 130

16:00 Official Cross-country training

Saturday, 03.03.

12:15 Trial Round HS 130

13:15 TEAM SPRINT Competition Round HS 130

16:30 TEAM SPRINT 2x 7.5 km cross-country race

Sunday, 04.03.

10:00 Trial Round HS 130

11:00 INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSEN Competition Round HS 130

15:45 INDIVIDUAL GUNDERSEN 10 km cross-country race

Quick Facts:

HILL

Salpausselkä

HS 130

TRACK

Karpalo Sprint Course (Team Sprint)

1.5 km free-technique loop

Total climb: 47 metres

Maximum climb: 25 metres

Height Difference: 21 metres

Salpausselkä North Course (Individual Gundersen)

2,5 km free-technique loop

Total climb: 103 metres

Maximum climb: 32 metres

Height Difference: 36 metres

LAST YEAR’S PODIUM

WSC

IG NH: 1. Johannes Rydzek (GER), 2. Eric Frenzel (GER), 3. Björn Kircheisen (GER)

TE: 1. Germany, 2. Norway, 3. Austria

IG LH: 1. Johannes Rydzek (GER), 2. Akito Watabe (JPN), 3. Francois Braud (FRA)

TS: 1. Frenzel/Rydzek (GER), 2. Moan/Krog (NOR), 3. Watabe, A./Watabe Y. (JPN)

World Cup

IG I: 1. Eric Frenzel (GER), 2. Eero Hirvonen (FIN), 3. Johannes Rydzek (GER)

IG II: 1. Fabian Rießle (GER), Eric Frenzel (GER), Johannes Rydzek (GER)