Johannes Rydzek puts Germany on the winner's list in Fiemme
Jan 11, 2019·Nordic Combined
Johannes Rydzek captured the first individual victory of the season for Team Germany in Val di Fiemme. Norway's Jørgen Graabak performed well at one of his favourite venues and claimed rank two, +5.9 seconds after a superb Rydzek. Jumping winner Mario Seidl skied for dear life and salvaged the third place, finishing +7.1 seconds after Rydzek.
Seidl won the jumping round with a jump of 131.5 metres (143.4 p.) and after the disqualification of his teammate Franz-Josef Rehrl, Seidl had to start the race by himself, 39 seconds ahead of Jarl Riiber, who showed 128 metres (133.6 p.) today. Russia’s Ernest Yahin was third after a strong performance of 127.5 metres (133.4 p.). After an extended period in the leader board, the Russian earned a start time of +0:40. Ten seconds later, Akito Watabe took up his race after jumping to 127.5 metres as well (130.9 p.).
Johannes Rydzek and one of last year’s Fiemme winners, Jørgen Graabak, were a fast chasing duo, starting their races from positions five and six with delays of 52 seconds each. Jan Schmid, Yoshito Watabe and Jens Lurås Oftebro started close together as well with starting times of +1:04,+1:05 and +1:06 and birthday boy Manuel Faißt and Japan’s Go Yamamoto followed at +1:09 and +1:10. For superstar Eric Frenzel, who returned to competing after sitting last weekend’s World Cup out to train, the jumps did not show the hoped-for progress yet. He started from position 17, +1:46 after the leader.
Even though many thought Mario Seidl would not stay in the lead for a very long time, it was actually not until the last lap that pursuers finally caught up with the Austrian jumping winner. Going out on the last lap, Seidl still had a 25-second advantage and it looked like the pursuing foursome consisting of Akito Watabe, Jørgen Graabak, Johannes Rydzek and Jarl Riiber, who was caught by the other three athletes on the third lap, were not totally united in their quest to closing the gap to Seidl. In the end, Rydzek and Graabak pushed hard to close the gap to Seidl, while Akito Watabe and the man in yellow, Jarl Riiber, were no match for the two fast skiers today.
Rydzek went all in on the last uphill when he had closed the gap to Seidl and with Graabak having to go around Seidl first to pursue Rydzek, the important seconds to stay on Rydzek’s heels were lost to the Norwegian. Still, Graabak and a visibly tired Seidl claimed secure podium positions. Jarl Riiber minimised the damage with rank four but only finished +24.5 seconds after Rydzek, Akito Watabe was fifth (+29.6).
Vinzenz Geiger, Eric Frenzel and Manuel Faißt on ranks six, seven and ten completed a very good German day. Lukas Klapfer (AUT) and Jan Schmid (NOR) claimed the remaining Top Ten positions with ranks eight and nine. Eero Hirvonen and local hero Alessandro Pittin had a photo finish for positions eleven and twelve, with the better end for the Finn.
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