Hagen doubles up in Ramsau with dominant Gundersen win

Ida Marie Hagen (NOR) doubled up in Ramsau as she stormed to a third win in four competitions this season in the Viessmann FIS Nordic Combined World Cup to maintain her charge to regain the overall title.

The 2023-24 Crystal Globe winner started the cross-country section of Saturday’s Gundersen in sixth place, one minute and 19 seconds behind compatriot Ingrid Laate, the 18-year-old who again out-jumped everyone on the hill.

But Hagen swiftly moved up into third place early on and had overtaken Laate by the halfway point at 2.5km to close to within 6.7 seconds of Alexa Brabec (USA).

The 25-year-old made her move early on the second lap, surging past Brabec and then stepping on the gas to win in 14:41.9, 18.7 seconds ahead of her training partner, who took her second runner-up finish of the weekend, with defending champion Nathalie Armbruster (GER) recovering from her collapse on Friday to take the final podium spot.

It was Hagen’s fifth straight victory in Ramsau since December 2023, and her 20^th individual World Cup win overall to extend her lead in the overall standings to 60 points over Brabec and 90 over Katharina Gruber (AUT), who finished fifth behind Lisa Hirner (AUT) in fourth.

“Today was a good day. I felt strong and it was a fun race, especially with Alexa up there with me as well, and Nathalie was doing better too after yesterday, so I am glad she is back on track."

Brabec, who started the cross-country 1:06 behind, continued her superb start to the season with a third podium in four events this season, announcing herself as a challenger in the overall standings.

“I am super happy to get second both days,” said the 21-year-old. “It shows that it is not a fluke.”

Armbruster, after her unexpected collapse during the cross-country in Friday’s Mass Start, took heart from her third podium of the season, after starting the cross-country 1:17 back.

“Yesterday was just crazy for me; I was so shocked,” she said. “My body totally shut down. I was conscious I was falling down but I couldn’t do anything about it.

On the HS98 Normal Hill earlier, Laate again showed herself to be the class of the jumping field.

After first Karina Kozlova (UKR) - with an 85.0-meter jump – and Teja Pavec (SLO, 87.0m) – set early markers among the first 20 to go, Annika Malacinski (USA) went slightly further with 87.5m before Laate took to the hill.

The 18-year-old world junior champion, dropping three gates from 25 to 22, flew out to 96.5m, 3.5 meters longer than any other woman on the day.

Heta Hirvonen (FIN), who has also been competing in the specialist ski jumping discipline this winter, jumped 91.0m (120.8 points) to finish fifth on the hill, 1:18 back.

Armbruster’s 89.5m jump put her in contention with 121.0 points, 1:17 behind, but it was Brabec, with an excellent 93.0m jump for 123.7 points, who got closest to Laate, leaving her 1:06 to make up in the tracks.

Gruber’s 89.5m effort was only good enough for third on 123.2 (1:08 back), while Hagen, going last, produced a solid 90.5m jump to leave her in sixth, 1:19 back, heading to the tracks.

But her cross-country prowess proved decisive again as she made up the deficit and won with something to spare.

After the cancellation of the scheduled World Cup events in Schonach, Germany, over the weekend of 3-4 January due to unfavourable snow conditions and forecast warm weather, the women will return to action in Otepää, Estonia, with three competitions from 9-11 January.

Click here for full results from Saturday’s women’s Gundersen.