Nordic combined: “Special place” – Vinzenz Geiger returns with a win in Ramsau

Vinzenz Geiger delivered a statement victory a little over six weeks before the Olympic Games, taking his first win of the season in the Nordic combined World Cup in Ramsau. The 28‑year‑old from Oberstdorf prevailed in a dramatic finish of the Gundersen event—large‑hill jump plus 10 km cross‑country—outsprinting Norway’s Jens Luraas Oftebro by 0.1 seconds. Austria’s Johannes Lamparter was third, 8.4 seconds back.

Geiger called Ramsau “a special place” for him, celebrating his sixth career win at the venue and his 11th podium there. Starting the season late due to an ankle injury, he mounted a tactically astute comeback after ranking 15th in the morning’s ski jump. “I knew the race would be decided at the end,” he told ZDF. He pushed a strong pace on the skis, halving a 1:20 deficit to Thomas Rettenegger by 5.7 km and, together with Oftebro, catching the Austrian by 8.2 km. Rettenegger then slipped back.

On the finishing straight, Oftebro initially looked set for the win as the day’s strongest skier, but Geiger surged past just before the line to claim his 21st World Cup victory—his first since March and his first after returning from injury. The result also secures Geiger’s qualification for the Olympics.

Germany’s Johannes Rydzek climbed from ninth after the jump to contend for the podium, ultimately finishing fifth after losing a four‑way battle for third to Lamparter and Rettenegger. Wendelin Tannheimer matched his jumping position by taking eighth in the cross‑country phase and overall.