Lamparter wins Nordic Combined opener in Ruka
Nov 28, 2025·Nordic Combined
Johannes Lamparter (AUT) launched his bid to claim a second Viessmann FIS Nordic Combined World Cup overall title by winning the season-opening Compact in Ruka (FIN).
The 2022-23 Crystal Globe winner, who won the last two competitions of last season in Lahti (FIN), made it three in a row as he took his 18th individual World Cup victory overall.
It was a powerful statement from the 24-year-old, who in the absence of injured defending champion Vinzenz Geiger (GER) and following the retirement of five-time overall champion Jarl Magnus Riiber (NOR), is among the favourites for this season’s title.
Lamparter set the platform for victory with a superb jump of 134.5 meters on the HS142 Large Hill to score 131.7 points and leave himself just six seconds behind Thomas Rettenegger (AUT) heading into the cross-country.
Lamparter quickly caught his compatriot barely 1km into the 7.5km race and extended his lead to more than 10 seconds over the rest at one point before eventually winning in 17:38.2, 7.7 seconds ahead of the fast-finishing Julian Schmid (GER).
Home favourite Ilkka Herola (FIN), who earned a first World Cup victory in Oslo towards the end of last season, gave his fans something to celebrate by taking the third place on the podium, 17 seconds back.
It was a maiden win in Ruka for Lamparter, who had finished second on five occasions in the Finnish resort over the past five years.
“It was a perfect Friday for me,” he told FIS. “Everything was working quite well. I did my homework and the whole summer I have been thinking about this season and the Olympic Games.
Lamparter started the cross-country at a brisk pace, hitting the front as he and Rettenegger approached the end of the first of the three 2.5km loops.
The chasing trio of Schmid, David Mach (GER) and Herola were still 15-16 seconds behind at that stage and while Herola moved to the head of pack on the second lap, he could not make any headway into Lamparter’s lead.
The effort appeared to cost the Finn and it was Schmid who proved the stronger of the chasers on the final lap, pulling away from Herola and briefly threatening to catch Lamparter on a punishing uphill section before settling for a strong second place.
“The conditions were tough,” he said. “The last couple of days it was really cold and the snow was not so wet, but today it was completely different and the technical guys did a great job [preparing the course].
“I tried to catch Johannes [Lamparter] but he was also really strong in the last 300 meters, and I am very happy with second place.”
Herola, seeking to become the first Finnish athlete to win an individual Nordic Combined World Cup event on home snow for 15 years, was also pleased with a podium finish in the first of three events this weekend, with an individual Gundersen to follow on Saturday and a Mass Start on Sunday.
“This is unbelievable,” he said. “I have been struggling here for over 10 years without a podium or any good races, but today everything was working quite well."
Kristjan Ilves (EST), starting 40 seconds back in 11th place, put in a powerful late surge to finish fourth, one place ahead of Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR), who came from 50 seconds back in 16th to take fifth.
Earlier, the ski jumping on the HS142 Large Hill, one of the biggest on the World Cup circuit, took place amid steady snowfall and tricky wind conditions.
Jiawen Zhao (CHN, below), going 11th of the 59 starters and whose best World Cup result was 34th in Ruka 12 months ago, caused a major surprise by soaring 131.5 meters for a score of 123.4 points to take the lead.
The 24-year-old was still in front with just 12 athletes left to jump, with only double world junior champion Paul Walcher’s (AUT) 130.5m effort, for 123.3 points, getting close as many struggled in the difficult wind conditions.
David Mach (GER) set down a challenging new target with a superb jump of 133.0m, for 131.5 points, only for Thomas Rettenegger (AUT) – consistently one of the top jumpers on the circuit – to soar five meters further and record the longest distance of the day, 138.0m, for 137.9 points.
That meant Rettenegger led going into the cross-country, but Lamparter, who had earlier won the rescheduled PCR with a jump of 132.5m, ensured he started only six seconds behind in the tracks with an excellent jump of 134.5m, going last.
Retteneger eventually finished seventh, 34.5 seconds behind Lamparter, with Mach down in 12th and Zhao trailing in 48th, more than two minutes behind.
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