Katharina Althaus was without podium for the first time this season. The Olympic runner-up from Oberstdorf did not exceed sixth place in Oslo on the unfamiliar large hill and stood next to the podium for the first time in her eleventh competition of the winter. The best German was world champion Carina Vogt (Degenfeld) in fifth place, followed by the outstanding Olympic champion Maren Lundby from Norway.
It was Lundby’s ninth win of the season. Daniela Iraschko-Stolz from Austria (231.2) and the Japanese Yuki Ito (229.7) took a clear lead with 262.7 points. The Olympic eight Ramona Straub (Langenordnach) had to make do with rank 15, Juliane Seyfarth (Ruhla) and Gianina Ernst (Oberstdorf) with places 20 and 27.
In the overall World Cup, Lundby led with 1220 points ahead of Althaus (860) and Sara Takanashi from Japan (716), who finished fourth on Sunday, before the season finale in Oberstdorf next weekend. Sochi Olympic champion Vogt (488) remains sixth.
Only for the second time this season the 30 best women of the World Cup were allowed to jump from a large hill. For the coming season, however, FIS has announced a small revolution. As in biathlon, men and women are to compete more often in the same location and even on the same hill,”a revolutionary approach is behind this project,”said FIS Racing Director Walter Hofer in Oslo.
National coach Andreas Bauer had already called for equality with men after the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. There is also a need to catch up on other levels. Thus, Althaus, Vogt and Co. at the Olympics only one medal chance at the moment, but the men three.
The World Cup season will conclude this weekend with two competitions in Oberstdorf – on the small hill.