Greiderer claims COC victory in Ruka

Lukas Greiderer emerged victorious in the men’s second Continental Cup competition of the weekend in Ruka (FIN), capping off another demanding day in Lapland with a strong cross-country performance.

As on Saturday, Norway’s Alvin Le set the pace in the morning ski jumping competition on the Rukatunturi HS142. Le once again produced the longest jump of the day, flying to 141 meters and collecting 147.1 points to take the lead and earn the right to start first in the 10 km cross-country race.

Second after jumping was Greiderer, who landed at 137 meters (140.3 points) and began the race 27 seconds behind the Norwegian. Lukas Dolezal of Czechia followed closely in third after a 139.5-meter jump (139.5 points), starting 30 seconds off the lead.

In the afternoon race, Le was unable to convert his jumping advantage into a podium result but the 17-year-old, who was competing in his ever first Continental Cup weekend still finished fifth in the end - a career best.
Meanwhile, Greiderer, who had already finished second on Saturday, delivered another powerful performance on the tracks and moved into the lead, securing the fifth Continental Cup victory of his career.

Germany’s Tristan Sommerfeldt, Saturday’s winner, also impressed. Starting the race in seventh position and 1:22 minutes behind after jumping, he produced a strong catch-up race to claim second place, finishing 20.1 seconds behind Greiderer. Austria’s Andreas Gfrerer completed the podium in third, crossing the line 24.2 seconds behind his teammate.

The fastest cross-country time of the day was posted by Germany’s Benedikt Graebert, who completed the 10 km race in 24:59.2 minutes and climbed from 23rd after jumping into the top 10 overall.

After two competitions in Ruka, Sommerfeldt and Greiderer share the lead in the Continental Cup overall standings. Both athletes have collected 190 points, each recording one victory and one second-place finish over the weekend.