A moment of shock in the Arctic Circle

There is no trace of a lack of snow or climate glue, it is much more frosty temperatures that set the tone. Both in Ruka in the Arctic Circle, where the Nordics celebrate their opening at temperatures as low as minus 17 degrees, and in the alpine ski resort of Killington in Vermont (USA), where there will be a women’s giant slalom on Saturday (4/7 p.m., ORF 1). a slalom will take place on Sunday (4/7 p.m., ORF 1).

The Winter Wonderland is intended to encourage top performance. At least it’s to the taste of Austria’s “high-flyer” Stefan Kraft. “Great, that’s exactly how I want it,” says the 30-year-old from Salzburg, who had to settle for 21st place in the turbulent qualification for the first individual ski jumping competition on the large hill in Ruka on Saturday (5 p.m., ORF 1).

“It ripped me off myself. The run-up stopped a lot because there was a lot of snow in the track. I lost my center of gravity a few times and caught a bit of a gust outside. Luckily I made the jump down safely,” Kraft reported a moment of shock that did not dampen his optimism: “I see that everything is there for me. You have to be there when it counts. With a little bit of luck, I can do anything.”

Number one in the elimination was Andreas Wellinger (D) with a flight of 144 meters. Clemens Aigner came fourth, Daniel Tschofenig eighth, Jan Hörl 17th, Theninger Michael Hayböck 20th, Manuel Fettner 30th.

The Nordic combined athletes have completed their first competition, the premiere in the new compact format (with fixed time intervals after jumping). The chance for a tailor-made start from the red-white-red perspective was there, but defending World Cup champion Johannes Lamparter, who was leading at half time, fell back to sixth place on the cross-country ski trail. “I was really good on the hill, but unfortunately I had a bit of a bad time on the descent in cross-country skiing,” reported the 22-year-old Tyrolean, who was unable to keep up with the crowd in the final sprint.

The Norwegians didn’t care, they celebrated a triple victory: Jens Luraas Oftebro triumphed ahead of Jarl Magnus Riiber, who was suffering from a shoulder dislocation, and Jörgen Graabak.

As expected, there was nothing to gain for Austria’s cross-country skiers in the classic sprint. The quartet already failed in qualifying, and as ÖSV’s best (39th), Teresa Stadlober also missed the final of the top 30. The Swede Emma Ribom and the Norwegian Erik Valnes, who relegated top star and compatriot Johannes Hösflot Kläbo to third place, won.

Shiffrin attracts the crowds

The local alpine technicians in the USA have better cards, where Elisa Mörzinger from Altenfelden will also be taking part in the giant slalom. The atmosphere under the new head coach Roland Assinger is brilliant. “Rarely have we had so much fun. Last season there were a few small groups in the group,” reported Katharina Huber, who can expect a stately backdrop. The latter is due to superstar Mikaela Shiffrin. The 28-year-old has won five of the eleven Killington races since 2016.