COC: Bjørnstad wins by 20 sec after jumping cancellation

The second day of the Continental Cup in Klingenthal began with a cancellation. Strong winds forced the jury to first call off the trial round and eventually the Ski Jumping competition on the HS140 at the Sparkasse Vogtland Arena.

As a result, the Provisional Competition Round (PCR) from Friday was used to determine the starting positions for the cross-country race. Norwegian Espen Bjørnstad delivered an outstanding performance in the PCR with an incredible jump of 145.5 meters, earning 134.7 points and securing a decisive victory. France’s Matteo Baud followed in second place with a jump of 140 meters and 122.1 points, starting the 10 km cross-country race 50 seconds behind Bjørnstad. Baud’s teammate, Marco Heinis, jumped 140.5 meters for 112.9 points, securing third place and beginning the race 1:27 behind the leader.

The significant time gaps between competitors set the stage for an exciting race, as many strong skiers aimed to close the distance. Bjørnstad showcased his consistency, maintaining his lead throughout the race and claiming a dominant start-to-finish victory with a 20.2-second margin. Baud also defended his position to finish second, while Heinis was unable to hold onto third, ultimately dropping to seventh place.

Germany’s Jakob Lange, who had finished third the previous day, repeated his stellar cross-country performance. Starting in fifth place, he surged through the field to claim the final podium spot, finishing 1:09.7 behind Bjørnstad.

The fastest skiing time of the day was recorded by France’s Gaël Blondeau, who completed the 10 km course in 26:41.4. His remarkable effort allowed him to climb from 22nd place after the jump to an 11th place finish.

All results can be found here.