Hagen wins Mass Start in Ramsau to extend overall lead
Dec 19, 2025·Nordic Combined
Ida Marie Hagen (NOR) extended her lead in the Viessmann FIS Nordic Combined women’s overall World Cup standings with her second victory of the season in Friday’s Mass Start in Ramsau, Austria, after rival Nathalie Armbruster (GER) suffered a dramatic collapse in the cross-country section.
Hagen, the 2023-34 Crystal Globe winner, had won her last three competitions in Ramsau over the past two seasons and made it four in a row in the shadow of the Dachstein mountains to claim her 19th individual World Cup win overall.
The 25-year-old won an arduous cross-country race by 28.9 seconds to give her an advantage of 7.2 points on the jumping hill.
That proved more than sufficient as, going last, she nailed a superb 90.0-meter jump to overhaul one of her training partners, Alexa Brabec (USA), who also jumped 90.0m to clinch her best-ever World Cup result in second.
“It was a really good day, I am super happy” said Hagen, who moved 50 points clear of Katharina Gruber (AUT) and Brabec in the overall standings, with Armbruster dropping to fourth, 82 points behind.
“It’s also cool that Jens [Luraas Oftebro] is on the (men’s) podium as well. It really means a lot for the whole team and for me, we train a lot together so it is nice to be able to succeed together.”
Brabec, who won the PCR on Thursday, continued her superb start to the season, after a third and fourth in Trondheim.
“I surprised myself a bit but I felt pretty good on the course, so I was able to hold on to the end,” said the 21-year-old. “I had a pretty good jump – I think there is a bit more there – but I am definitely satisfied with it.”
Minja Korhonen (FIN), the 18-year-old Finn who also achieved both her previous two World Cup podiums in Ramsau, the first as a 16-year-old in 2023, finished third after another excellent performance with an 89.0m jump.
“It was much better than in Trondheim (where she twice finished fifth),” Korhonen said. “In the cross-country it felt much different and on the hill it was OK – it could have been better but OK was enough today.”
Katharina Gruber (AUT) the 17-year-old who became the youngest woman to win a World Cup event on the opening weekend in Trondheim, continued her ascent into the higher echelons of Nordic Combined with fourth place to move into joint-second in the overall standings.
Earlier in the cross-country, Hagen took it out at the front early on with defending champion Armbruster tucked in behind, right in her tracks.
But Hagen broke clear of her rival on a hazardous downhill section to move 10.5 seconds clear as they completed the first of the 2.5km loops on a tough course, with Brabec – who trains with the Norwegian team - and Marte Leinan Lund (NOR) closest in pursuit.
But Armbruster (below) suddenly collapsed with exhaustion on a punishing uphill section, falling forwards onto the slope and unable to get up for a lengthy period as 10 rivals went past her.
The 19-year-old eventually got to her feet, was handed a change of poles and resumed in 12th, more than a minute behind Hagen, who pushed on alone to win the cross-country in 15:12.3, almost 29 seconds ahead of Brabec in second.
“I am so tired, it was a hard race but I am proud of what I did,” Hagen said at the finish.
Compatriots Leinan Lund (+40.7 seconds, a deficit of -10.2 points) and Hanna Midtsundstad (+52.6 seconds, -13.2 points) came home third and fourth with Korhonen fifth, 54.6 seconds back (-13.7 points).
On the jumping hill, world junior champion Ingrid Laate (NOR) set the early marker with the longest jump of the day – 94.5 meters – before Claudia Purker (AUT), Yuzuki Kainuma (JPN) and Heta Hirvonen (FIN) all took the lead briefly.
But Gruber (above) again showed her star quality with a 93.0m effort – the second longest jump - to move ahead with 107.4 points before the top 10 from the cross-country took to the hill.
Yuna Kasai (JPN) came close to toppling her with an 86.5m jump for 105.9 points, before Korhonen’s 89.0m effort propelled her to the top of the standings with 109.9 points.
Brabec then nailed a superb 90.0m jump to take the lead with 119.5 points but Hagen, going last, matched her training partner for distance to seal a dominant victory with 127.2 points.
The women will compete again on Saturday in an individual Gundersen, with the jumping scheduled to start at 08:30 CET and the cross-country at 15:30.
Click here for full results from Friday’s Mass Start.
)
