TRIPLE: Graabak takes overall victory in Seefeld

Joergen Graabak is the winner of the third and final TRIPLE competition in Seefeld (AUT).

Due to difficult wind conditions on the Toni-Seelos-Schanze HS 109, the trial and competition round had to be cancelled. 
Therefore, yesterday’s PCR was used to calculate the starting order for today’s 12.5 km cross-country race.

The bonus points from yesterday's competition were added to the PCR result, so that it was not the winner of Saturday's Provisional Competition Round who went first on the trail, but the athlete with the most total points.

That was Norwegian Joergen Graabak, who jumped 105 meters and placed 3rd yesterday with a total of 134.9 points. Just 1 second behind him, German Terence Weber (105 m, 134.7 pts) started into the cross-country course of the WM Arena in Seefeld.

Kristjan Ilves from Estonia finished 3rd with also 105 meters in the PCR and a total of 134 points, which put him 4 seconds behind Graabak. Record winner Jarl Magnus Riiber and his biggest competitor Johannes Lamparter in the yellow bib started only 2 seconds later with exactly 133.3 points each.
With Austria's Franz-Josef Rehrl, who showed the longest jump of the PCR with 109.5 meters (133.1 points), a total of 6 athletes started the race within the first 7 seconds.

The following chasing group was led by yesterday's winner Vinzenz Geiger of Germany, who went into the longest race of the season 28 seconds behind Graabak.

The six leaders, around overall World Cup leader Johannes Lamparter, took turns working at the front and thus played their greatest advantage over Geiger, who had to complete most of the race alone.
They set a high pace and made it very difficult for the German to get closer, so that after 3.7 km the gap was already 27.8 seconds.

Terence Weber (+16.3 sec) also had difficulties with the high speed, and had to give up on the second lap, so that the leading group was reduced to 5 athletes.

On the ascent at 6.2 km, Franz-Josef Rehrl and Kristjan Ilves could no longer keep up as well and had to let the three fast leaders go.

With the podium candidates 42.4 seconds ahead after 10 km, all that mattered was the order in which the top three would cross the finish line.
The last round was characterized by tactical games and constant changes in the lead, before Graabak and Lamparter launched a final attack on the last climb, which Riiber surprisingly couldn't keep up with.

In an exciting sprint, Graabak prevailed with a 1.5 second lead over the Austrian, who successfully defended his yellow bib against Jarl Magnus Riiber.
The Norwegian completed the podium in 3rd place, 14.9 seconds behind.

Results: Men Individual HS 109 – PCR – 29.1.22, Seefeld TRIPLE
Overall Results: Men Individual NH/12.5 km – 30.1.22, Seefeld TRIPLE