'It's just wow': Armbruster wins first World Cup event after Hagen DSQ

With overwhelming favourite Ida Marie Hagen (NOR) sensationally disqualified from the Seefeld 'Triple' on Saturday, Nathalie Armbruster (GER) took full advantage to claim her first Viessmann World Cup victory.

Armbruster took control of the first women's 'Triple' with a commanding Compact victory in Hagen's absence, leading all the way on the 5km cross-country track to triumph by 37.7 seconds from Gyda Westvold Hansen (NOR).

The teenager's unlikely victory came after Hagen, who had won 11 consecutive World Cup events dating back to last season, was disqualified for a suit infringement after initially winning the ski jumping round.

And with a rare World Cup victory up for grabs, Armbruster seized the moment.

"I'm so incredibly happy right now," she said in an emotional interview moments after the win. "I almost have to fight against the tears, it's so overwhelming.

"It's just wow."

Despite being only 19 years of age, Armbruster's maiden victory was a long time coming following 14 individual World Cup podiums, as Hagen has monopolized the top step in the last 12 months.

With four podiums in the first seven races of this season, Armbruster has been knocking on the door, and then she burst through it on Saturday.

After recording the longest jump of the ski jumping phase but seemingly finishing second to Hagen, Armbruster moved up to pole position, and, with a clean cross-country track in front of her, she was never headed.

Starting with a six-second lead in the Compact fixed timing handicap format, Armbruster tripled her advantage over Westvold Hansen at the end of the first 2.5km lap and continued to increase it at every split.

With the final straight serving as a victory lap, Armbruster savoured the moment and raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the line.

"I think I showed an amazing cross-country performance and a very great jump today," she said. "It's so cool, my first ever World Cup victory."

Westvold Hansen, the last winner on the World Cup circuit other than Hagen, not only couldn't keep up with Armbruster, but had to contend with the chasing pack behind her.

Haruka Kasai (JPN) broke away from that pack to catch the Norwegian midway through the second lap, and the two appeared set for a race to the finish line.

The effort of the chase caught up with Kasai, however, and Westvold Hansen found a second wind to hold her off by four seconds.

Kasai moved up from sixth after the ski jumping phase to record her third podium of the season, just over 10 seconds ahead of twin sister Yuna Kasai.

Hagen wins ski jumping phase before disqualification

As Friday's Mass Start winner, Hagen was the only athlete without a points handicap entering the ski jumping phase, and she took advantage — or so it seemed.

Executing what she described as a "super fun" jump of 103m — the equal second-longest of the round and 10m further than she managed on Friday — Hagen appeared to win the round until her disqualification.

Armbruster, jumping third last to match her position from Friday, had the longest and highest-scoring jump of the morning at 104m to be the biggest beneficiary of Hagen's disqualification.

Friday's runner-up Westvold Hansen dropped behind Armbruster despite a 103m effort, while Lena Brocard (FRA, 99.5m) was in third after a well-executed jumping phase.

Ten of the 26 competitors who recorded legal jumps matched or exceeded the 99m K-point on the HS109 normal hill.

Of those, Ingrid Latte (NOR) was the biggest mover among the top 10 in the ski jumping round, improving from ninth to fifth and overtaking the Kasai twins in the process, but she did not start the cross-country race.

With a victory in the bank, Armbruster goes for the 'Triple' and the yellow bib

It must seem to Armbruster like everything is suddenly coming to her at once.

With her first victory in the bag, she is now favourite to become the first women's 'Triple' champion after Sunday's Gundersen event, especially given that points from the first two contests carry over.

And at just 95 points in the standings behind Hagen, who will not compete on Sunday, the German student could also find herself as the World Cup leader within 24 hours.

Just wow, indeed.

Click here for full results from Saturday's Compact.