Tschagguns: Slovenia writes Mixed Team history
Aug 24, 2024·Nordic Combined
Slovenia won its first ever Nordic Combined Mixed Team competition today.
The first competition of the FIS Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix 2024 took place in Tschagguns (AUT).
11 teams from 7 nations took part in the Mixed Team event at the Montafon Schanzentrum HS103 in the afternoon.
In bright sunshine and high temperatures, the program first included a trial round and then the competition round.
Team France showed the strongest performance on the hill and took the lead. Lena Brocard (90 m), Matteo Baud (95 m), Laurent Muhlethaler (96 m) and Romane Baud (89.5 m) collected a total of 499.3 points and started first into the 5km – 2.5km – 2.5km – 5km roller ski race.
Team Germany 1 with Nathalie Armbruster (91 m), Jakob Lange (91 m), Simon Mach (98 m) and Jenny Nowak (96.5 m) placed second with 496.8 points, only 3 seconds behind France.
The third place after jumping was taken by team Austria 1 with Annalena Slamik (91.5 m), Martin Fritz (96.5 m), Stefan Rettenegger (96.5 m) and Lisa Hirner (97.5 m).
With a total of 496.6 points, they started the race together with the Germans, 3 seconds after the leaders.
A total of 7 teams went on the course within the first minute, so that a tight fight for the podium could be expected.
French Matteo Baud was the first one on the course, closely followed by Germanys Simon Mach and Martin Fritz from Austria.
After 5km the first exchange took place. Fritz handed over to Annalena Slamik, while Baud send his sister Romane on the way, only 0.4 sec later.
Mach fell back and handed over to Jenny Nowak on 5th place, while team Slovenias Vid Vrhovnik gained one position and exchanged with Tia Malovrh (+22 sec) on rank three.
Meanwhile Jens Oftebro had worked his way up to 4th place, handing over to Ida Marie Hagen (+35.8 sec) on 4th place.
Slamik couldn’t keep the lead for Austria, while Nowak fought her way back up to the top on the 2.5 km lap and handed over first to Nathalie Armbruster. Just 0.2 seconds behind Malovrh, who showed an incredible performance, exchanged with Ema Volavsek on rank 2.
A total of 6 teams started their third lap within 7 seconds, so that a tight fight before the last exchange took place.
Volavsek secured the lead for Slovenia and handed over to Gasper Brecl just 0.4 seconds ahead of Armbruster, who sent Jakob Lange off to the last laps.
Veronica Gianmoena (+0.9 sec) exchanged with Domenico Mariotti for Italy 1, while Hagen gave Einar Oftebro 16.2 seconds to the front.
On the last 5 kilometers, the Norwegian managed to close the gap to the front, so it came down to an exciting finish sprint.
Brecl prevailed over Oftebro with 2.7 seconds and secured the first Mixed Team victory ever for Slovenia.
Meanwhile, Lange and Mariotti fought for third place until the finish line with the German (+4.2 sec) narrowly beating the Italian (+4.9 sec).
SJ Results: Mixed Team HS103/15km – 24.8.24, Tschagguns
Overall Results: Mixed Team HS103/15km – 24.8.24, Tschagguns
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