Coming up: Women’s Season Opening in Lillehammer (NOR)
Nov 28, 2023·Nordic Combined
The second weekend of the 2023/24 season will take place in Lillehammer (NOR) with a total of four exciting Nordic Combined competitions.
One Individual Gundersen each is scheduled on the HS98 and HS140 for the men as well as the season opening for the Nordic Combined women with two Individual Gundersen on the HS 98.
Again, all eyes will be on last season’s Overall World Cup winner Gyda Westvold Hansen. The Norwegian, who showed a perfect season last winter with winning every event she started in, is considered to be the top favorite once more.
Meanwhile, one of her biggest opponents comes from her own team with Ida Marie Hagen, who is known for her skiing strength, after winning last season’s Best Skier Trophy.
With Slovenian Summer Grand Prix champion Ema Volavsek not on start due to a knee injury, the hopes for breaking the Norwegian winning streak are on German shooting star Nathalie Armbruster. The 17 year-old won two silver medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica and is eager for her first World Cup victory.
Also her German team mates Jenny Nowak and Svenja Würth showed strong performances during the Summer Grand Prix and, like the Japanese sisters Yuna and Haruka Kasai, are considered hot candidates for a spot on the podium.
On the men's side, given the strong performances of Team Norway in Ruka last weekend, the athletes to watch are clear: Overall World Cup leader Jarl Magnus Riiber will spearhead the Norwegian efforts on home soil, while Joergen Graabak, who claimed two podium finishes at the season opening in Finland will be chasing another top result this weekend.
The current Overall World Cup second, Johannes Lamparter, is close on Riiber's heels and, thanks to his strong performances on the hill and on the cross-country track, is definitely in a position to challenge the Norwegian for victory in Lillehammer.
Fellow Austrian Stefan Rettenegger took his first World Cup podium on Sunday and will do everything he can to repeat this experience in Norway.
From a German perspective, Julian Schmid and Johannes Rydzek were particularly convincing.
A podium finish would be an important statement for the German men's team after Eric Frenzel took over the coaching position this summer.
With the Olympic venues of 1994 ready and a punctual onset of winter with snow and sub-zero temperatures, Lillehammer is poised for an exciting kick-off to the World Cup season in Nordic Combined women.
