National coach Frenzel shouts until his voice gives out
Only a bronze medal and sixth place for Julian Schmid: the first podium under Eric Frenzel just won't happen in the combined. There is still room for improvement, especially in the jumping. Once again, the Norwegian local hero Jarl Magnus Riiber put on a great show.
Eric Frenzel shouted until his voice gave out, but the first podium finish under his direction didn't work out in the fifth attempt either: The German combined athletes were once again left without a podium in the freezing cold Lillehammer. Runner-up Julian Schmid, who finished fourth on Saturday and sixth on Sunday, produced some good results, but it was local hero Jarl Magnus Riiber who put on the big show.
"It's been five tough, very cold competitions so far. And Jarl is simply in a class of his own at the moment," said new head coach Frenzel. Record World Champion Riiber won both races of the weekend in Norway in superior style and now has a total of 61 World Cup victories, including four in a row. "It was a perfect weekend," said the top star.
Schmid at least proved his top form in the German team. The World Championship silver medallist went into the cross-country race on Sunday in eighth place, within touching distance of the podium, after a jump of 130.0 meters. In temperatures of 19 degrees below zero, he fought his way forward, had the podium in his sights on the last lap as he had on Saturday, but then ran out of steam. The last time the DSV team was without a podium in the first five competitions of the winter was in 1998/99.
"The cheering strains the voice"
"Julian did a very committed, very strong race. It was a very high standard across the board," said Frenzel, who was barely audible: "The cheering does put a strain on your voice." Veteran Johannes Rydzek, who finished just behind Schmid in fifth place on Saturday, was the second-best German in twelfth place. There is still room for improvement, especially in jumping. "We're getting a little closer competition by competition. But there's still a bit missing on the hill," said Frenzel: "If the boys were already ahead there, they could manage their strength better."
A similar picture emerged in Lillehammer for the women: World Championship silver medallist Nathalie Armbruster had her sights set on third place for a long time on Saturday in the freezing cold, but she was 15.2 seconds off the podium at the finish. Host Norway, led by world champion Gyda Westvold Hansen, celebrated a triple victory. The German team now has plenty of time to train: The competitions in Ramsau (December 15/16) will be the last of the year, with the next event not until January 13 in Oberstdorf.
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Source: www.ntv.de
