'I felt really good and just gave it full throttle' - Vinzenz Geiger takes first Nordic Combined World Cup win of season

Germany's Vinzenz Geiger repeated history to secure his first win of the Nordic Combined season in Sunday's event in Val di Fiemme, Italy. An excellent cross-country finish allowed Geiger, who first tasted World Cup success at the same venue nearly three years ago, to reverse the second-placed finish he achieved in Saturday's event behind Johannes Lamparter of Austria.

The 24-year-old was only placed 10th after the ski jump, but recovered superbly in the race to take victory. This time, it was Lamparter who had to settle for silver five seconds behind the 24-year-old, after his own maiden victory the previous day. Both took full advantage of the absence of Jarl Magnus Riiber who missed the entire weekend with a back problem, less than a month before the Olympic Winter Games. However, three-time champion Riiber still tops the overall standings by 100 points, having won seven of the first eight competitions this season.

Estonian Kristjan Ilves led after the ski jump, scoring 138 points, but a disappointing cross-country run meant he narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing fourth. Geiger's German compatriot and double Olympic gold medallist from Pyeongchang, Johannes Rydzek, claimed third after finishing only 0.7 seconds behind Lamparter. After the win, Geiger said: "Suddenly (towards the end) I felt really good and just gave it full throttle."