“I am looking forward to being chased!”

Who better to check in with before the Viessmann FIS Nordic Combined World Cup resumes in Ramsau am Dachstein (AUT) on the next weekend than current World Cup leader Jarl Magnus Riiber. In TUESDAY TALK, he reflects on his way back to the top, reveals how he handles being the man in yellow and if his new dog Akito has met the real-life Akito (Watabe) yet.

How did you spend the two off-weeks since your big triumph in Lillehammer?

Jarl Magnus Riiber: I have been training at home in Oslo. I mainly used Midstubakken to work on smaller details. I also had some longer training sessions in cross-country, some classic skiing and also some technical sessions regarding the cross-country, so I think I found a good mix before Ramsau.

Lillehammer marked the first time after quite a hard period for you that you were able to stand on top of the podium. How relieved were you to have this “reward” after going through a long injury break and a season of “almost but not quite” results.

Riiber: I am really satisfied to be on the top again. As you said in the question, I have been so close for such a long time. There have been a lot of expectations after my injury last season, so that I was actually really nervous to be back in the World Cup after my timeout. I managed to get to a good level quite fast but I didn’t make it to the very top. Standing on the top after a good training summer, I’m just so happy that it came together like this.

With three victories in three events, there was no discussion about who was the strongest man in Lillehammer. How does it feel to be the chased man in yellow this winter?

Riiber: I am not thinking too much about that. I feel quite confident to be in a good position. Of course there will probably be some moments in which I will think of “defending” the bib but at the moment, I’m having a good, offensive mentality. If everything remains well and I stay healthy, I am looking forward to being chased.

How did you like the new Lillehammer Tour concept with the three events and the Mass Start comeback?

Riiber: I am very fond of the new concept with three different formats in the three competitions. Hopefully we can see this more in the future on the weekends with three competitions. It would be great to have more of these diverse weekends in the future, like with our highlight the TRIPLE and now with this season opening mini tour.

In Ramsau am Dachstein, we are moving to a very small hill now and a track that usually has the strong skiers shine in the end. How do you approach this last weekend before Christmas?

Riiber: I am looking forward to Ramsau, it is always really nice there. The small hill suited me quite well in the past years and I have developed into a stronger cross-country skier as well. Therefore I am maybe even more looking forward to the cross-country part this year. I hope I can fight for a really good cross-country time.

Before the season, one could read on social media that you and your family have gotten a dog that you named Akito. How come and could the real Akito meet his canine namesake in Lillehammer?

Riiber: Yes, we thought it was a quite fitting name, he is a hero in Nordic Combined after all. I think naming our dog Akito was a cool idea. He couldn’t meet the real Akito in Lillehammer but he will have a second chance in Trondheim and Oslo, so more opportunities for this meeting will come. (laughs)