Jarl Riiber turns into King of Cross-Country in Trondheim
Jan 27, 2019·Nordic Combined
Norwegian World Cup leader Jarl Magnus Riiber won yet another race in an impressive fashion on the cross-country track, coming back from starting position eleven and leaving Germany’s fast skier Vinzenz Geiger behind on the last uphill. Usually known as a jumping prodigy, Riiber posted the second-fastest cross-country time of the day and won the race with a 1.2 second advantage ahead of Geiger and compatriot and local hero Jørgen Graabak (+2.5 sec).
Poland’s Szczepan Kupczak was the athlete dealing best with difficult wind conditions at Trondheim’s Granåsen ski jumping hill early Sunday morning and posted a 134 metre winning jump with a point total of 114.3 points. This result had him starting 34 seconds ahead of Franz-Josef Rehrl, who had a better jump again today and reached 138.5 metres (105.9 p.). Yoshito Watabe claimed the third position in the start grid with a time behind of 47 seconds, followed by his brother Akito, who had to contend with a deficit of one minute and ten seconds.
Vinzenz Geiger, who celebrated his maiden World Cup win earlier this season in Val di Fiemme, was set up well for a top result today: the German left the start gate one second after Akito Watabe and had one minute and 11 seconds to make up on leader Kupczak. Frenchman Laurent Muhlethaler had a very good jump early in the round. 129 metres meant the intermediate sixth position and a start delay of one minute and 19 seconds.
While World Cup leader Jarl Magnus Riiber only had the eleventh position to show for after a 129.5 metre jump, teammate Jørgen Graabak’s 131.5 metres had the local hero starting from rank nine, +1:39 behind the leader. Riiber followed only three seconds later, both still in striking distance for the top results.
Jumping leader Kupczak was chasing a career-best performance today and started the race in his own speed. Franz-Josef Rehrl closed the gap to the Pole by the 3.2 km point and halfway through the race, the group around the leader had grown considerably: Akito and Yoshito Watabe had caught up, as well as Vinzenz Geiger, Jørgen Graabak and Jarl Riiber.
Due to tactical games and low speed, Lukas Greiderer joined the group of seven by the 8 km point and also Kupczak was still hanging on to the leaders. The last lap, however, separated good performances from very good ones. Kupczak had to let go of the group first and was also caught by Johannes Rydzek and Fabian Rießle but still finished his race on a career-best 12th position.
Lukas Greiderer, Akito and Yoshito Watabe and Franz-Josef Rehrl were no match for the high intensity fight that Jarl Riiber, Vinzenz Geiger and Jørgen Graabak had on the last long uphill. Geiger set an attack that Riiber was able to match and emerge victorious from. Going first into the last downhill part of the course, Riiber charged to his second World Cup victory in as many days and remains the uncontested World Cup leader 2018/19. Geiger, in turn, was faster than local hero Jørgen Graabak, who claimed third, Franz-Josef Rehrl was fourth, Akito Watabe fifth, Lukas Greiderer sixth, Yoshito Watabe seventh, Espen Bjørnstad eight, Johannes Rydzek ninth and Lukas Klapfer tenth.
Veteran Magnus Moan ended his last competition at his home venue on position 27. The 35-year-old has announced his intention to retire at the end of the season.
