Jens Luraas Oftebro wins Gundersen to clinch the Triple

Jens Luraas Oftebro (NOR) produced a stunning sprint to overtake leader Stefan Rettenegger (AUT) in the closing stages of the 12.5km race to win the FIS Nordic Combined Individual Gundersen and also take the Triple on the final day at Seefeld on Sunday.

Rettenegger, who started the race with a 37-second lead over Oftebro’s brother Einar, held his lead for the majority of the race in his bid for his maiden World Cup win but was left disappointed by ending the race in second.

The chasing pack of Jens, defending Triple champion and Saturday’s Compact winner Vinzenz Geiger (GER), who finished in third, and Johannes Lamparter (AUT) began to close in on the final 2km to build to an exciting finale of the Triple.

“I was a bit mixed in the finish line,” said Jens Luraas Oftebro, who now takes his individual World Cup wins total to 10. “Of course, I’m really happy for me and I was so close to winning it last year but I couldn’t manage but today I did it, but when I saw Stefan’s reaction it made me a bit sorry.

“Because he was so close to the victory and also on home soil, so it’s a bit unfortunate for him, but of course for me it was amazing.”

As the pack vied for second, with Geiger’s strength in the sprint initially looking to win out, it was Jens Oftebro who showed his determination to take over and lead the chase of Rettenegger. With Rettenegger seizing up towards the end, Jens Oftebro quickly closed in and overtook with a few hundred meters left to go.

An emotional Rettenegger, who had jumped 102m earlier in the day to put him ahead of the pack for the start of the race, said: “Right now the disappointment is quite big. I had a really great jump and I felt like today’s gonna be my day but Jens was just in another world today, he was so fast.

“It’s really tough for me. It was very close and it’s like a childhood dream the Seefeld Triple, but maybe someday, not this year, but I will keep on trying.”

With Jens having jumped just 94m, he started 1.06 minutes behind Rettenegger and had to catch up from starting in seventh place, which meant also overtaking his brother Einar, who had also produced a good jump at 100.5m.

Geiger was also disappointed not to finish at the top of the podium to claim the Triple but said of his appreciation for Jens Luraas Oftebro’s performance at the end of the 12.5km. “In the race I thought, ‘yeah it will be great to win again’ but today was not my best day on the slope. On the track I think Jens deserves it.”

Einar Luraas Oftebro, after starting in second ended the race fourth, before Lamparter in fifth.

Austrian Mario Seidl performed a 99m jump in his final World Cup event, and marked the occasion by kissing the snow after his jump, before celebrating with his team-mates at the end of the cross-country race and finishing in 43rd.

For results of the Individual Gundersen click here.