Nordic station wagon
On Saturday, Johannes Lamparter became the third Austrian after Klaus Sulzenbacher (1987/88, 1989/90) and Felix Gottwald (2000/01) to secure the overall Nordic Combined World Cup. At the penultimate competition of the season in Lahti, eleventh place with a jump from the large hill and cross-country skiing over 10 km was enough for the 21-year-old Tyrolean to keep Jens Luraas Oftebro from Norway and the German Julian Schmid at a distance.
World Champion Jarl Magnus Riiber once again secured the day’s victory, beating Estonian Kristjan Ilves in the sprint to the finish. Third place was not enough for Oftebro to postpone the decision in the World Cup to the last competition of the season on Sunday. Stefan Rettenegger finished eighth as the best Austrian. After 24th place in jumping in bad wind conditions in the 10 km cross-country race, Lamparter started to catch up and ultimately improved by 13 places.
“A childhood dream has come true, the highlight of my career so far,” said Lamparter in an ORF interview in Lahti. “After Seefeld (victory in the Nordic Combined Triple, note) I knew Jarl (Riiber, note) would skip it, I’m competitive with the others, so I wanted to get the big ball. It went step by step, and now it’s so far, amazing. The season had ups and downs, today after the jump it was a cool race, I put my head down and ran.”
Lamparter conquers overall World Cup
On Saturday, Johannes Lamparter became the third Austrian after Klaus Sulzenbacher and Felix Gottwald to secure the overall Nordic Combined World Cup.
Teammate Rettenegger also praised his colleague. “He was the best combined athlete this year and so consistent. He definitely deserved it. It’s also really cool for the team.” Lamparter celebrated seven wins this season, all after the turn of the year. He also benefited from a hiatus from Norway’s Riiber, who only competed in 13 of the 21 World Cup seasons and had his focus on the World Championships. With success, the 25-year-old won four gold medals in Planica. Another competition will take place in Lahti on Sunday.