German Nordic combiners Stenzel and Sommerfeldt ready for World Cup opener

Germany’s Nordic combined team begins the 2025/26 World Cup on 27 November in Ruka, Finland. Two young athletes—Richard Stenzel (Thuringia) and Tristan Sommerfeldt (Saxony)—enter an important phase of their careers.

Stenzel, from Zella‑Mehlis, will tackle a full World Cup campaign for the first time, planning to contest all ten stops. Sommerfeldt, from Oberwiesenthal, embarks on his fourth World Cup season and steps into the opening lineup in place of Olympic champion and former overall World Cup winner Vinzenz Geiger, who recently suffered a right‑foot injury and will miss the first competitions. “For now I’m definitely in for the first two stops as Vinz’s replacement; after that we’ll see,” Sommerfeldt said. He is the son of former cross‑country overall World Cup winner René Sommerfeldt.

New coaching setup with Ronny Ackermann Both athletes work with Ronny Ackermann. The former world‑class Nordic combined star has guided Stenzel for some time; Sommerfeldt joined his setup this season. The pair know each other well: they won the junior world championship team sprint together in 2024. Stenzel’s strength is the ski jumping portion, while Sommerfeldt is regarded as the stronger skier. Their daily head‑to‑head training is meant to push both forward.

Olympic tickets in sight The Ruka opener also starts the battle for Germany’s three men’s Olympic quotas for Milano‑Cortina 2026. Saxon athlete Terence Weber, who missed Beijing 2022 due to COVID‑19, is targeting qualification this time.

Ten‑man German roster Germany’s World Cup squad includes Stenzel and Sommerfeldt alongside established names Vinzenz Geiger, Johannes Rydzek, Julian Schmid, Jakob Lange, Manuel Faißt, Terence Weber, and younger teammates David Mach and Wendlin Thannheimer.

Head coach Eric Frenzel has set selection standards higher than the German Olympic Sports Confederation: athletes should claim two World Cup podiums or three top‑six finishes to secure Olympic nomination. “As a German Nordic combined team the bar is very high,” Frenzel said. “We have a strong, deep squad, and only the very best should qualify.”