If there is a law of the series, then the Austrian combined athletes will end the Olympic Winter Games with a bronze medal today in the team competition. There was a “souvenir” in this color for Austria not only at the 2018 games in Pyeongchang, but also at the last three World Cups. However, the ÖSV quartet with Johannes Lamparter, Lukas Greiderer, Martin Fritz and Franz Josef Rehrl hopes for an end to the Bronze Age.
“We are certainly among the stronger on the hill. But I also believe that we are not bad on the cross-country ski run. We hope that we can challenge them,” says Rehrl, who won bronze in the team competition at the 2019 World Championships in Seefeld host country brought. By “they” he means Norway and Germany. Since the 2014 games and thus six times in a row at major events, the fight for gold and silver in the team has been a case for these two nations. After the double victory on the large hill by Jörgen Graabak and Jens Luraas Oftebro as well as with Jarl Magnus Riiber, the Scandinavians are favorites today. With Vinzenz Geiger, the Germans have the Olympic champion on the normal hill as a pacemaker, and Eric Frenzel, who was only recently released from the corona quarantine, is also used. This is commented on quite calmly in the Austrian camp. “I don’t think he can run a good race,” says Greiderer. At least that’s how it was for Riiber, who had also been isolated in the individual, who finished eighth after a superior victory in vaulting.
Like Lamparter, Riiber did not have an individual medal in his first games four years ago, and he won silver with the team. Things could be similar for the Tyrolean World Cup leader after being fourth and sixth so far. “The goal will be to jump well again in any case. At five kilometers it doesn’t happen that you break like that,” he referred to the last, poisonous climb. “But it’s also important to divide things up well here.”
For Austria, the way to the hoped-for gold medal as the crowning glory of the games in Beijing should be a strong mileage. That’s why head coach Christoph Eugen decided to send Martin Fritz to the team race instead of Mario Seidl. Eugen: “We believe that we are better positioned with him because of the running strength that we will also need on this track.” By the way, if you add up the individual performances from the large hill competition, Germany was behind Austria. Norway was number one with the double win. As always in team competitions, the Japanese will have to be taken into account today.
Source: Nachrichten
