Italy triumphs in thrilling six-nation battle

The men’s Team Sprint at the FIS Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix in Chaux‑Neuve delivered a thriller, with nine teams from six nations battling for the win and Italy I celebrating a sensational comeback.

Under clear skies on the La Côté Feuillée HS118 hill, Germany I led the jumping round. Richard Stenzel (109 m) and Johannes Rydzek (109.5 m) totaled 226.3 points to start first into the 2×7.5 km roller‑ski relay. Czechia followed four seconds back after strong jumps by Jan Vytrval (109.5 m) and Jiri Konvalinka (114 m) for 223.5 points. Austria I (Christian Deuschl 105 m, Florian Kolb 107.5 m) and France I (Laurent Muhlethaler 105 m, Marco Heinis 111 m) tied on 215.1 points to start 15 seconds behind.

On course, Stenzel and Vytrval stayed together early, handing to Rydzek and Konvalinka just 0.3 seconds apart. Behind, Heinis passed Deuschl to launch Muhlethaler in third at 1.5 km, 7.8 seconds off the lead with Kolb another 0.4 seconds back. Working together, Muhlethaler and Kolb closed the gap, and by the 3 km exchange the top four teams entered the zone together.

The lead quartet—Czechia, Austria I, Germany I, and France I—continued as a tight pack through 4.5 km and 7.5 km, never separated by more than 0.8 seconds. A strong chase of Slovenia I, Italy I, France II, France III, and Germany II steadily reduced the deficit, cutting it to five seconds after 9 km.

The next exchange brought the chasers into the mix, creating a nine‑team front group. By 12 km, eight nations remained within 2.6 seconds, with France II’s Matteo Baud taking a brief pull at the front.

At the final exchange, Italy’s Samuel Costa launched a decisive attack. In his comeback season after stepping away last year, he opened a small but crucial gap. Rydzek chased hard for Germany I, but Costa held firm to take the win for Italy I with partner Raffaele Buzzi. Germany I finished 1.3 seconds back, and Maël Tyrode secured third for France III at 3.5 seconds. Austria I was fourth, 4.2 seconds off the winners.

The result capped an intense race in which the initial jumping leaders were reeled in by a coordinated chase, setting up a mass‑sprint style finale and a memorable Italian victory.