Jarl Riiber returns and wins PCR/Qualification in Lahti

Jarl Riiber is back to competing after he had to take a break due to and extended period of sickness in December. In his first start after the break, he immediately returned to his winning ways on the jumping hill. 123.5 metres from one gate lower than the rest of the athletes were enough to accumulate 136.3 points and the win of the day.

Runner-up was Italy’s Samuel Costa who showed 116.5 metres (118.3 points) which meant a time behind of one minute and 12 seconds should the PCR be needed on this weekend.

Austrian veteran Willi Denifl captured the third position with 114.5 metres and 113.5 points, +1:31 behind Riiber. Denifl’s teammates Bernhard Gruber and Franz-Josef Rehrl were the two next best athletes on four and five, followed by Norway’s Espen Andersen, Akito Watabe, Tim Hug, Björn Kircheisen and Johannes Rydzek.

Legend Hannu Manninen did not have the best comeback jump and finished on rank 49 (90 metres and 63 points which would translate into + 4 minutes and 53 seconds for the cross-country race. The four unlucky athletes who did not make the cut to the Top 5 were Niyaz Nabeev, Taylor Fletcher, Bernhard Flaschberger and Kail Piho, Jussi Salo and Håvard Klemetsen were disqualified.