The Nordic Combined season has caused some shifts in the result lists – both from a German perspective and internationally. The DSV team says goodbye to two formative figures of the last decades. And even though new talents have found their way to the top of the world among women, Nordic combined is fighting above all for its future.
“Time to say goodbye” That’s what they say at the end of the 2022/23 season in the German Nordic Combined team. After 27 years as national coach at the German Ski Association (DSV), Hermann Weinbuch is retiring and retiring to the second row. “It was always a lot of fun for me and it gave me a lot. I was able to experience many highlights, we won many medals“, explained Weinbuch, who turned 63 on Wednesday. He has led his protégés to an unbelievable 59 medals at major events in almost three decades as the responsible coach. Now he wants to pass on his knowledge to the youngsters for almost three more years.
His probably most successful athlete is Eric Frenzel. The long time as “King of Combiners” The valid Saxon now also puts the skis in the corner. One last time in Lahti we went off the ski jump and then into the cross-country ski run. At the finish, his competitors from all countries formed a trellis, through which Frenzel drove, then there was one straight away champagne shower.
“I’m just overjoyed to be able to experience that today. It’s a great honor“, he explained after his last race. Now, after 18 medals at world championships, three Olympic victories, five overall World Cup triumphs and numerous other successes, it’s over. “Two figures of light leave us. In both cases it is a great loss for us“, explained DSV sports director Horst Hüttel. An era is coming to an end for the German team.
Frenzel wants to try his hand at coaching
From a sporting point of view, Frenzel was no longer the dominating combined athlete in recent years and even in his own team others had meanwhile outstripped him. So there is no need to worry about that. But how will the vacancy in the head coach position be remedied? “It will not be an easy task to replace such a man“, affirmed Hüttel. But the DSV is on the lookout – both in its own camp, but also internationally, you look around.
This responsibility would come too early for Frenzel. He declared that he wanted to stay with Nordic combined. Even if he doesn’t believe”that I will do another ski jump after Sunday“, as he explained in the run-up to the last World Cup in Finland. Nevertheless, he could imagine a coaching position in the long term. “Nordic Combined is the sport I love and in which I have gained a lot of experience. It would be nice to pass things on“Said the 34-year-old of the German Press Agency.
And why not one day national coach? “I think that the athletes would benefit from that – whether they are youngsters or higher up. I would have no problem trying that out.” However, there have not been any talks. Hüttel explained, however, that the door is always open.
Julian Schmid is now a candidate for victory
With his farewell after his outstanding career, Frenzel once again dominated the headlines at the end of the season, but others had filled them during the winter. Julian Schmid should be mentioned first and foremost from the German team. The youngster put himself in the limelight in the first competition of the season with his first individual World Cup victory. Two more successes and a total of twelve podium finishes were to follow this winter. The reward was third place in the overall classification. There were also three silver medals in his first World Championship participation.
In the World Cup, Schmid only had to give way to the Austrian Johannes Lamparter and Jens Luras Oftebro. For the first time in four years, the winner in the final billing was not Jarl Magnus Riiber. The Norwegian struggled with illnesses throughout the season, eventually turning his focus to the World Championships in Planica, where he became the dominant athlete with four gold medals in four events.
Austrian Lamparter makes history
But Lamparter showed the most consistent winter, the double world champion of 2021 secured the big crystal globe. “A childhood dream comes true. As a child you dream of the world championship title, Olympic victory and the overall World Cup. It’s just great, pure emotions at the moment“, explained the 21-year-old, who made history for his home country.
The last time an Austrian won the overall World Cup in Nordic Combined, Lamparter wasn’t even born. In the 2000/01 season, Felix Gottwald was the best combined athlete of the winter. it need”a little bit more“to make that happen, according to Lamparter.”Craziness” he called what he had achieved and now, at his young age, hopes to serve as a role model for other youngsters from the Alpine Republic.
Talent Armbruster fights its way to the top of the world
For women, who continue to fight for recognition and participation in the Olympic Games, the World Cup season was once again dominated by Gyda Westvold Hansen. There were ten World Cup races this season, and the Norwegian won them all. And at the World Championships in Planica, she was at the top of the podium in both women’s singles and mixed teams. Especially on the hill, she is currently more than a nose tip ahead of her competitors.
Behind the exceptional athlete, however, there is growing competition, led this winter by 17-year-old Nathalie Armbruster. The German shooting star attracted attention last summer with strong results in the Grand Prix and was able to secure the German championship title in October. At the start of the World Cup, she ran straight onto the podium, something no other German combined athlete had done before.
With a total of seven top 3 placements, she was “Best of the rest” behind Westvold Hansen. Another highlight were the two World Championship silver medals. But from a German perspective, not only Armbruster made people sit up and take notice this year. Also Jenny Nowak, who did the pioneering work in her sport in the German team.
Nordic combined fights for survival
Despite the once again increased performance density in only the third World Cup winter for women, the fight against non-consideration at the Olympic Games is still not over. In 2026, according to a decision by the International Olympic Committee last summer – contrary to the Olympic credo that women and men should start in all sports – only men will be there. To demonstrate against the exclusion, the athletes formed an “X” over their heads with their ski poles before each start in the cross-country decisions – “No eXception” (no exception).
The men also took part in the protest, after all, it is also about a possible exclusion for them. If the women are not included in the program, they could be removed in 2030. Without an Olympic presence, the TV times will also decrease, which in turn makes it very difficult to recruit young people. Despite a largely exciting season, Nordic Combined is still struggling to survive.
