Athlete of the Week: Vinzenz Geiger (GER)

Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger can look back on a very satisfying weekend: not only did the 22-year-old collect two podium results, he also claimed his second World Cup victory and ended Jarl Magnus Riiber’s victory streak which had spanned from the beginning of the season to the third World Cup venue in Ramsau am Dachstein (AUT).

Even though Riiber eventually pushed back in Sunday’s event and reclaimed the top step on the podium, Geiger will go down in the history books as the first athlete, who was able to not only push but but Jarl Magnus Riiber in the winter of 2019/20.

Geiger claimed those results by doing what a good Nordic Combined athlete des: he offered steady, good results on the jumping hill (ranks 10 and 13) and strong cross-country races (third-fastest and fastest cross-country time). While it is no big news that Geiger can hold his own in a cross-country race but this weekend, he faced stiff competition from the likes of Jørgen Graabak, Ilkka Herola and his own teammates Fabian Rießle and Eric Frenzel. Geiger surpassed them all.

What sets the 22-year-old from Oberstdorf apart and helps him collect podium places (already four this winter) is his sprinting prowess. Jens Lurås Oftebro had to concede to him in Ruka, Ilkka Herola and even Riiber himself in Ramsau am Dachstein and only Fabian Rießle, not a stranger to fast sprint finishes himself, managed to beat him him once  in Lillehammer, leading us to the clear conclusion that if you want to successfully claim a victory or podium result, you most likely don’t want to meet Geiger on the last 50 metres of your race.

Geiger’s cut-throat sprinting abilities are somewhat at odds with his reserved, quiet,  maybe even shy personality but have already earned him the spot as the last athlete in German team event lineups, for example at the Seefeld 2019 World Championships. We are sure Geiger hasn’t shown the last of his abilities yet and so especially in places with smaller jumping hills, he should definitely be on the short-list of athletes to watch for.