Rok Jelen and Silva Verbic win Slovenian national titles
Dec 29, 2019·Nordic Combined
The Slovenian Nordic Combined team used the Christmas break to hold their national championships in Planica this weekend. In the absence of Vid Vrhovnik, who injured his knee while warming up and is currently awaiting the results of further examinations of the injury, Rok Jelen claimed the men’s title. Silva Verbic won the women’s competition.
Rok Jelen had already jumped to the lead in the ski jumping portion of the event with 98 metres and only needed the second-fastest cross-country time of 25:20.0 for the 10 km race o finish a clear 50 seconds ahead of runner-up, Ozbej Jelen. He had ranked fourth after ski jumping but the fastest time of the day (25:16.0) carried him past Uros Vrbek and Erazem Stanonik , numbers two and three after the jumping event. Also Gasper Brecl improved from his seventh position after the ski jumping part to the final third rank, Stanonik, Vrbek and David Muhic finished on ranks four to six out of the ten starters.
Four athletes were on start in the women’s championship event and also here, the strongest ski jumper claimed the victory. Silva Verbic showed 95 metres and with 104 points total, she had a head start of one minute and 32 seconds on runner-up Ema Volavsek. (81.5 m; 81 p.). Even though she only had the third-fastest time, Verbic won with a clear margin of one minute and eight seconds. Ema Volavsek was second, Spela Mastnak claimed bronze, Tinkara Gros was fourth.
