COC: Malovrh and Gfrerer dominate Gundersen in Eisenerz (AUT)

The FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup took place from 16–18 January in Eisenerz (AUT), hosting women’s and men’s events at the Erzberg Arena. While the men had already started their season earlier on the large hills in Ruka (FIN) and Klingenthal (GER), Eisenerz marked the official season opener for the women’s Continental Cup.

The weekend’s program featured Individual Gundersen competitions for both genders on Friday and Sunday, as well as the premiere of the new Express Race format on Saturday.

Friday: Individual Gundersen

On Friday, athletes completed a training round followed by a Provisional Competition Round (PCR) before the ski jumping competition took place on the HS 109 hill.

In the women’s jumping competition, Karina Kozlova (UKR) claimed victory with a jump of 98.5 meters, scoring 120.9 points. This gave her the advantage of starting first in the 5 km cross-country race later that day. Slovenia’s Tia Malovrh finished second after jumping, achieving the longest distance of the day with 100 meters (118.8 pts) and starting only eight seconds behind Kozlova. Austria’s Anna Brandner placed third with 93.5 meters and 107.6 points but did not start the cross-country race, which meant Germany’s Lilly Grossmann started third, 54 seconds behind Malovrh.

The cross-country race delivered plenty of excitement. Kozlova attempted to defend her lead but was unable to match the pace of the strong skiers behind her. Malovrh took the lead early on and gradually extended her advantage, crossing the finish line first with a clear margin of 1:13.7 minutes to secure the first Individual Continental Cup victory of her career. Her Slovenian teammate Masa Likozar Brankovic produced an impressive race as well, climbing from sixth after jumping to second place and completing a Slovenian one-two. Finland’s Anna Kerko finished third, 1:26.2 minutes behind the winner.

On the men’s side, Austria’s Andreas Gfrerer dominated the jumping round with 104 meters and 137.6 points, earning the right to start first in the 10 km cross-country race. Finland’s Eemeli Kurttila followed closely in second, having jumped the furthest distance of the day at 107 meters (137.0 pts), starting just two seconds behind Gfrerer. Germany’s Benedikt Graebert placed third after jumping (98 m, 126.3 pts), 45 seconds back.

Gfrerer carried his strong form into the cross-country race, defending his lead from start to finish to claim his first Individual Continental Cup victory. Norway’s Jens Dahlseide Kvamme, who had been seventh after jumping, delivered a powerful skiing performance to move up to second place, finishing 16.3 seconds behind the Austrian. Finland’s Hermann Happonen rounded out the podium in third, 21.4 seconds back.

Sunday: Weather impacts competition format

The second Individual Gundersen competitions scheduled for Sunday were heavily affected by difficult wind conditions. The women’s ski jumping round had to be cancelled, and the jury decided to use Friday’s PCR results instead.

As a result, Slovenia’s Tia Malovrh started first in the 5 km Gundersen race thanks to her longest PCR jump of 97.5 meters (115.7 pts). Karina Kozlova (UKR) followed in second with 95.5 meters and 112.1 points, starting 14 seconds behind, while Austria’s Eva-Maria Holzer began the race in third, 1:02 minutes back.

Once again, Malovrh showcased her strength on the cross-country course, securing a second start-to-finish victory of the weekend. She won ahead of Finland’s Anna Kerko, who finished 1:31.7 minutes behind, while Slovenia’s Masa Likozar Brankovic completed the podium in third, 1:33.6 minutes back.

Strong winds also forced the cancellation of the men’s ski jumping round. As the PCR had already been used on Saturday due to similar conditions, the jury opted for a Mass Start competition with the intention of holding the jumping round later in the day.

The 10 km Mass Start race proved highly competitive, with Norway’s Joergen Storsveen taking the lead at the finish. His compatriot Andreas Ottesen finished second in a photo finish alongside Austria’s David Thuer, both just 0.7 seconds behind the winner. In total, eight athletes crossed the finish line within ten seconds. Unfortunately, worsening conditions prevented the ski jumping round from taking place, and the competition had to be cancelled.

Overall Standings

Following the weekend in Eisenerz, Andreas Gfrerer leads the men’s Continental Cup overall standings, while Tia Malovrh tops the women’s ranking after securing three victories.

The Continental Cup continues with its next stop in Schonach (GER) from 30 January to 1 February.