Jarl Riiber returns and wins PCR in Oslo

One week after having to sit out the Lahti weekend with an eye infection, Norwegian jumping prodigy Jarl Riiber is back on the World Cup circuit and even though still having to jump with glasses instead of his regular contact lenses, Riiber won the Provisional Competition round with 132 metres.

135 points would give Riiber a head start of 23 seconds on Germany’s Manuel Faißt if the PCR has to be used tomorrow. Faißt shone with 130.5 metres and 129.2 points. Jan Schmid returned with a strong jump on home soil. The World Cup runner-up threw down the gauntlet with 131 metres (128.6 p.).

Rival Akito Watabe, who currently hold the lead in the overall World Cup had a comparatively weak jump today and landed at 127 metres only (116.7 p.), rank ten for the Japanese. Watabe would start with a delay of one minute and 13 seconds on leader Riiber and 50 seconds on Schmid.

Johannes Rydzek had a good jump again on rank four (+0:38) and good jumpers Franz-Josef Rehrl, Go Yamamoto, Dominik Terzer and Yoshito Watabe claimed ranks five to eight. Fabian Rießle also had a decent jump to position nine, which would give the fast skier one minute and four seconds to make up. Eero Hirvonen, Eric Frenzel and Magnus Krog would have to contend with one minute and 14 and 17 seconds respectively.

17-year-old Jens Luraas Oftebro showed 122 metres at his World Cup debut and claimed a good 22nd rank. Six athletes did not make it into tomorrow’s competition round: Oftebro’s older brother Einar, Raffaele Buzzi, Antoine Gerard, Wojciech Marusarz, Arttu Mäkiaho and Jasper Good. Kristjan Ilves was disqualified.