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Vinzenz Geiger on the way to victory in Val di Fiemme
Photo: ANDREA SOLERO / EPA
Vinzenz Geiger was cheering well before the finish line, and Johannes Rydzek threw up his arms behind him - the German combined athletes achieved two top results a month before the start of the Olympic Games.
While Geiger in Val di Fiemme, Italy, took advantage of the absence of Jarl Magnus Riiber to win his first win of the season, Rydzek came back as third among the world's best.
Top star Riiber, who had won seven of the first eight competitions of the winter, was not at the start with back problems.
The day before Geiger had finished second behind world champion Johannes Lamparter, on Sunday he defeated the Austrian with an energetic performance.
"All of a sudden I felt really good and just gave it full throttle," said the team Olympic champion after the race.
A good kilometer before the finish, Geiger pulled away from a 15-strong leading group with a furious start, nobody could follow.
Geiger was therefore able to celebrate on the last few meters, in the end he was five seconds ahead of Lamparter and clinched the eighth World Cup victory of his career - he booked three of them in Fiemme Valley, where the 2026 Olympic Games will also be a guest.
National coach Weinbuch has to think
His Oberstdorf club colleague Rydzek even ran from 19th place to the podium after a moderate jump - the six-time World Cup champion last stood there in February 2019.
“It's wonderful to be back on the podium.
I had a difficult start to the season, ”said Rydzek, who applied for a place on the German team for Beijing (February 4th to 20th).
National coach Hermann Weinbuch wanted to name three of his five Beijing starters after the competition.
Geiger, Eric Frenzel and Terence Weber have already met the norm, and Julian Schmid also has good cards.
Behind it it will be tight.
“Now comes some more movement, especially with Rydzek.
Fabian Rießle also made people sit up and take notice.
I'll have to go into the field for another two weeks, ”said Weinbuch.
mfu / sid
