Geiger snatches victory as Germany dominate Nordic Combined World Cup
BySportsbeat
Published 13/01/2018 at 21:38 GMT
Vinzenz Geiger snatched a dramatic victory for Germany's second team in the Nordic Combined World Cup team sprint at Val di Fiemme.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Geiger outsprinted compatriot Johannes Rydzek as he and teammate Eric Frenzel stood at the top of podium ahead of Rydzek and Fabien Riessle, who were billed as Germany's first team.
There was plenty of drama to secure the final place on the podium as Norway's Magnus Moan edged Eero Hirvonen in a photo finish to seal third spot for himself and Mikko Kokslien.
Geiger produced a stunning jump of 131.5metres in the opening round and Frenzel's effort of 126.5m gave the pair a 15-second head start over Riessle and Rydzek, who jumped 127m and 129m respectively.
The German teams continued to impress in the race as they formed the leading pack with Japanese pair Akito and Yoshito Watabe.
But the Japanese brothers faded at the 4.5km point, eventually finishing in sixth place as the German teams battled it out in a thrilling finale.
And it was 20-year-old Geiger who prevailed as he just had enough to beat Rydzek by 0.7 seconds in Italy.
There was delight for Norwegian pair Moan and Koskslien and the latter admits it was a good day for the duo.
Kokslien said: "That was a good day for me and Magnus. I think the result could've been better if we had another team in the race but we had a good performance.
"I think we had a good cross-country race and it was really tight at the finish. I was really nervous with Magnus coming to the finish as it pretty close."
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