Nordic World Ski Championships in the live ticker: combiners hope for a medal - "King Eric" calls for Riiber

The Nordic World Ski Championships are approaching their showdown.

The individual fight of the combiners is on Thursday.

Will Eric Frenzel get gold again?

The live ticker.

• On Thursday there is the World Cup showdown: The individual Nordic combined competition in the live ticker

• Jumping on the large hill takes place at 11 a.m., and running on the cross-country ski run at 3 p.m.

• Eric Frenzel surprisingly won gold two years ago in Seefeld in 2019 - will he succeed in another coup?

Oberstdorf - It's been two years since Eric Frenzel sensationally won gold at the Nordic World Ski Championships 2019 in Seefeld.

Can he defend the world title?

Probably not, says Frenzel after fourth place in the competition on the normal hill and silver with the relay.

The seven-time world champion will start as defending champion, but even then his victory was a surprise.

To repeat this coup, everything has to fit - from a top performance of his own to a mistake by Riiber, who won twice in two starts in Oberstdorf.

“Jarl has also become really strong on the trail.

You have to take off your hat, ”says Frenzel.

Nordic World Ski Championships in the live ticker: Rydzek back - last dance by Frenzel?

A medal would be a particular success for Frenzel because the competition might be the last in a World Cup individual.

At the moment he is only planning until the Olympics in Beijing in 2022, said Frenzel on Monday at a sponsorship meeting with the Viessmann company: “I also agree with my family that we will not discuss this any further until then.

We will then decide what the right way is. "

Meanwhile, Olympic champion Johannes Rydzek is returning to the German squad for the second Nordic Combined World Cup individual on Thursday.

The 29-year-old local hero was nominated by national coach Hermann Weinbuch for the race in Oberstdorf, as the DSV announced on Wednesday. 

Rydzek had been dropped from the team competition after disappointing in the first individual on Friday.

In addition to Rydzek, defending champions Frenzel, Fabian Rießle, Vinzenz Geiger and Manuel Faißt are nominated.

Germany has five starting places, as Frenzel won the world title in Seefeld in 2019.

Nordic World Ski Championships in the live ticker: Combine hope for a medal - "King Eric" calls Riiber for the third round

Before jumping from the large hill on Thursday at 11 a.m. and then on to the cross-country ski run at 3 p.m., the 32-year-old Frenzel first made use of a service that many Germans probably took advantage of at the beginning of the week: a visit to the hairdresser .

“He was with us in the team hotel,” revealed the probably most unpretentious German winter sports enthusiast in Oberstdorf, so he grabbed the opportunity without further ado.

After returning from the World Cup, he would otherwise have "probably had to wait until April", said Frenzel with a grin.

Hopefully he still put on that grin on Thursday afternoon.

(smk / sid / dpa)