The 2019 Montafon winner is Fabian Rießle
Sep 04, 2019·Nordic Combined
Fabian Rießle (GER) repeated his 2017 triumph in Montafon also in 2019. The German crossed the finish line 2.2 seconds ahead of runner-up Samuel Costa from Italy. Oberhof-winner Antoine Gerard followed up his performance with a third rank in Tschagguns / Partenen and crossed the finish line +2.5 seconds after Rießle.
Harald Johnas Riiber (NOR) won the jumping round with 100 metres (135.2 p.) after newly-minted hill record holder Christian Deuschl was unfortunately disqualified. Franz-Josef Rehrl (AUT) jumped to 102 metres in better conditions than Riiber (133 p.) and was able to take up his race nine seconds later. Behind the two, a slightly bigger gap opened until third-placed Laurent Muhlethaler, who showed 99 m (128.9 p.) and started +0:25 after Riiber.
Lukas Greider had good chances for a podium position with a start delay of +0:34 seconds and rank four, before a big group of athletes took up the pursuit, starting with fast skier Thomas Jöbstl at +0:44. Eric Frenzel followed with +0:46, Lilian Vaxelaire contended with +0:48 and Samuel Costa and Luis Lehnert were both allowed to start +0:51 after the leader. Ernest Yahin and Antoine Gerard completed the group of eleven athletes who started within a minute of the leader Riiber.
Harald Riiber lead the race in the Montafon community of Partenen for the first lap but by the 3.3 km point of the race, Franz-Josef Rehrl and Laurent Muhlethaler had closed the gap and formed a leading trio. The three athletes stayed together until the beginning of the fourth lap. At the 6.6 km point, a big pursuing group caught the leaders and now Fabian Rießle, Thomas Jöbstl, Philipp Orter, Lukas Greiderer, Antoine Gerard, Eric Frenzel and Ernest Yahin could also dream about a place on the podium.
When the athletes passed the stadium for the last time before the finish, all eleven athletes were still together. When they returned 1.6 km later, Fabian Rießle had been able to shake off his pursuers and managed to defend his win from 2017. An in-form Samuel Costa and Antoine Gerard were the strongest athletes in a mass sprint and snapped up the remaining podium results.
The Austrian duo of Philipp Orter and Thomas Jöbstl finished fourth and fifth and German superstar Eric Frenzel claimed the sixth position. Overall leader Franz-Josef Rehrl finished ninth.
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