This gold triumph is a very spectacular one: Vinzenz Geiger is Olympic champion on the normal hill in Nordic combined. Although as a contact person for the Corona-positive Eric Frenzel, he experiences a lot of chaos and can only train to a limited extent. This victory could be the prelude to more.
One of the first to wish well is Eric Frenzel. “How awesome,” he writes to Vinzenz Geiger on Instagram. He had just stormed across the finish line with a loud cheer. “I congratulate you, what a hammer race.” He also posts a picture showing the jubilant violinist on Chinese television. The 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion in Nordic combined on the normal hill was only able to follow his successor on television, not on the Beijing cross-country ski run. A drama about the six-time Olympic medal winner, which could also have been fatal for Geiger.
Because Frenzel and Terence Weber tested positive for the corona virus on arrival in Beijing, they have to be isolated. The best German violinist this season must also go into partial quarantine as a contact person. He’s not allowed to eat with the team, not with the team in a lift up to the hill, not even go to training with the team.
After all, he is allowed to train – at least in theory. In practice, the organizers make life difficult for him. A shuttle is supposed to take him separately to training, but on Sunday the bus goes to the snowboard, the next day he is picked up from the hotel much too late. “The organization here is pretty bad,” he says. Geiger misses valuable time to familiarize himself with the unknown hill.
“Felt So Good Today”
The chaos runs through it, it costs Geiger some nerves, he also vents his anger via Instagram. “The last few days have been pretty psycho,” he says again today. And: “Of course it was all a lot of shit, but I think it’s much worse that Erik and Terence are still in isolation. I can be very happy that it didn’t hit me.” Because he manages to shake off all the adversity. Just like its competitors on the trail.
The 25-year-old is only eleventh after the jump, 1:25 minutes behind the jump winner Ryota Yamamoto. Geiger’s teammates Johannes Rydzek and Julian Schmid, who are chasing the Japanese in third and fourth place, are much closer to the medals. But Geiger, who was victorious at the World Cup in Seefeld, didn’t want to be written off: “With a perfect run, you can win a medal.”
And he delivers it, the perfect run. Rydzek already looks like the gold medalist before Geiger and Jörgen Graabak charge from behind on the final climb and mercilessly pass. Geiger also decisively shakes off the Norwegian. “You should never give up, I felt so good today,” said the winner afterwards on ZDF.
“It just couldn’t get any better,” he says, summing up his race. “I was able to catch up the ten seconds on Graabak right away, I could rest a bit. Then the adrenaline got into my body and then I just didn’t go blue.” He also thanks the technicians via ZDF: “The material was incredibly good, I think we’ve never had such good skis.”
“I’m very skeptical, unfortunately”
Rydzek, who had taken on the strenuous leadership work for a long time, was ultimately unable to help with the skis. The 2018 Olympic champion on the large hill is overtaken by three other competitors and finishes fifth, Schmid eighth. They are powerless against Geiger’s turbo. Despite his curious preparation.
A preparation that Frenzel and Weber could not even complete. Neither did the top favorite Jarl Magnus Riiber and the up-and-coming Estonian Kristjan Ilves, who were also sent into isolation with the infection. Four of the top seven in the World Cup were missing. Does this diminish Geiger’s triumph? National coach Hermann Weinbuch called the failures “an athletic loss”, but: “Ultimately you will become an Olympic champion – and then nobody will ask.”
The isolated quartet hopes to be able to compete in Beijing after all. The competition on the large hill and the team competition are scheduled for the coming week. “We have a brilliant team,” says Geiger. One that not only won the two individual gold medals in 2018, but also dominated the team Olympic victory. Geiger, Rydzek, Frenzel were already there, the fourth man was Fabian Rießle, who was not nominated for Beijing. The team competition would be secured without another Corona case in the team, because Manuel Faißt has traveled from Germany. But first choice would be Frenzel and Weber. Can they test themselves in time? Weinbuch is unsure: “I’m very skeptical, unfortunately. One maybe, but whether all two? I don’t know.”
Weber even had a negative test before the values developed in the wrong direction again. At least Frenzel has a positive trend, according to team doctor Stefan Pecher. But his tests are still positive. But perhaps Geiger’s big happy ending provided the decisive, wondrous boost to Frenzel’s and Weber’s health. Geiger also gave his maximum for this.