From March 9th to 12th, the Viessmann FIS Nordic Combined World Cup returns to the birthplace of Nordic winter sports.
Three competitions are scheduled from Thursday to Sunday at the traditional Holmenkollen in Oslo (NOR), crowned by the women’s grand season finale.
But first the athletes, around the already established Overall World Cup winner Gyda Westvold Hansen from Norway, have to complete one last Individual Gundersen competition. And this one will be something very special, not only because the women will compete in a World Cup at Holmenkollen for the first time ever, but also because of the event schedule.
On Thursday the Ski Jumping part takes place on the Midtstubakken HS 106, before the 5 km cross-country race at Holmenkollen follows on Saturday, with Friday being a rest day.
While Hansen is already the overall winner with 900 points and will receive the Crystal Globe on home soil, there’s still an exciting fight for places two and three.
German Nathalie Armbruster (560 pts), Italian Annika Sieff (501 pts) and Norwegian Ida Marie Hagen (462 pts) all still have mathematical chances for the overall podium. In addition, the coveted “King’s Cup” of the Norwegian King will be awarded to the female Nordic Combined athletes for the first time on Saturday, so that everyone will try to win this special race.
The men, above all Planica’s four-time World Champion Jarl Magnus Riiber, will not only fight for the day’s victory on Saturday, but also for the “King’s Cup”.
In addition to Riiber, his Norwegian teammate Jens Luraas Oftebro as well as Overall World Cup leader Johannes Lamparter from Austria and Germany’s Julian Schmid are also favorites at the traditional Holmenkollen.
A special weekend awaits the men as well, as on Saturday they will for the first time race not only the 2.5km Blue Course but also the 5km Red Course, enjoying the full atmosphere in front of tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans in the forests surrounding the stadium.
