Emotional Lamparter begins Triple bid with Mass Start win

World Cup leader Johannes Lamparter (AUT) began his bid for a second career Triple with a Mass Start victory on the opening day of the FIS Nordic Combined weekend in Seefeld, Austria.

The home favourite finished fifth in the cross-country, almost 17 seconds behind Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR), who once again proved the strongest in the tracks.

But Lamparter soared out to 105.0 meters on the HS109 hill, matching the joint-longest jump of Stefan Rettenegger (AUT) to pip his team-mate to victory by just 0.5 of a point.

It was the 24-year-old’s fifth win of the season and 22^nd overall in the World Cup as he attempts to emulate his Triple triumph of 2023, the year he went on to win the Crystal Globe.

Andreas Skoglund (NOR) earned his second podium of the season after following up a strong cross-country race with an excellent jump of 102.5m to finish third, pushing last year’s Triple winner Vinzenz Geiger (GER) into fourth with Oftebro fifth.

Second place represented Rettenegger’s best result of the season, after one previous podium – also in a Mass Start – in Ramsau before Christmas.

"This podium means a lot,” he said. “I had a very, very nice jump today - the best for a long, long time and I've been waiting for this one. So it’s a great feeling; I was also better in the track.

“A second podium, a second competition on home soil, so I think I like Austria! Hopefully two more nice days ahead and if we keep going like this, it will be great."

It was also another notable result for Skoglund, who followed up his maiden podium in a Gundersen in Otepää earlier this month.

"It was really fun, it was only my second podium, so I'm really, really happy,” said the 24-year-old.

Defending overall champion Geiger, who has had a difficult season after missing the opening round with a foot injury, proved the strongest challenger to Oftebro (below) in the tracks but a jump of 100.5m saw him slip out of the podium places.

Lamparter, who won the Ruka Tour on the opening World Cup weekend in late November, clinched the Mass Start Trophy with Friday's victory - the last of four competitions this season in the format where the cross-country comes first.

Lamparter topped the standings ahead of team-mate Thomas Rettenegger (AUT), who finished 1:30 down in 24^th in the tracks before a 103.0m jump – which yielded the most points of the day – lifted him up to eighth place overall.

The men will tackle a Compact on the second day of the Triple on Saturday, with the jumping scheduled for a 12:30 CET start and a 7.5km cross-country to follow at 15:30.

Click here for the full results from Friday’s Mass Start.