All the news from the world of winter sports as Ljutić, Ledeux, Geiger and Tschofenig claim victories.
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the thrilling world of winter sports, where the excitement of the FIS events and other global competitions has kept fans on the edge of their seats. From the snow-covered slopes to the icy tracks, here’s your dose of high-speed action, skilful manoeuvres and thrilling performances from around the world.
Marco Odermatt of Switzerland celebrates second place during the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuhel, Austria on January 20, 2024. // Samo Vidic / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202401200157 // Usage for editorial use only //
FIS FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
February 1: Aspen, USA
– Tess Ledeux claimed the 17th World Cup win of her career on Saturday after triumphing in the Slopestyle event in Aspen. The 23-year-old had taken a short break from the 2024/25 FIS Freeski World Cup tour but returned with a bang as she claimed victory in the U.S. Grand Prix.
– The French ace triumphed with a score of 88.06 points, finishing ahead of Canada’s Megan Oldham and American Rell Harwood. Ledeux said: “I’m just so happy. I feel really confident on this course and I’m just happy because I missed some World Cups at the beginning of January to rest, and I think I made a good choice.”
February 2: Veysonnaz, Switzerland
– Fanny Smith impressed on home snow as she claimed her 77th World Cup podium finish in Veysonnaz. The 32-year-old eased into the final on Sunday and was able to chase down Canada’s India Sherret over the last few metres to secure third place. Canada’s Marielle Thompson claimed the win, with Germany’s Daniela Maier finishing in second.
FIS ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP
January 28: Schladming, Austria
– Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen and Swiss star Marco Odermatt made the giant slalom podium on Tuesday night behind Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen. Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard led after the first run from Steen Olsen and Kristoffersen with Odermatt’s strong second run promoting him up to third – 0.60s behind the winner – Meillard then falling down to fourth.
– With the skiers having to adapt to difficult conditions, FIS World Cup overall leader Odermatt, 27, said: “That’s the big challenge for an all rounder. If you’re on downhill skis for two weeks and then have one day to switch to GS turns and mindset, it’s not easy so I’ll take this podium.”
January 30: Courchevel, France
– Zrinka Ljutić goes into next week’s World Championships in Saalbach in the form of her career to date. The 20-year-old Croatian was absolutely dominant in Thursday’s Slalom race, winning by a huge margin of 1.26s from Sweden’s Sara Hector to take her third World Cup Slalom victory in the last four races.
– Taking a 0.19s lead into the evening run, Ljutić hit some tracks near the top of the course but pushed hard all the rest of the way down to extend her overall advantage. She commented: “I couldn’t imagine at the beginning of the season I’d get all these wins and that I’d adapt to the new material so well. I think the sky’s the limit now. I’m living the dream… don’t wake me up!”
FIS SKI JUMPING WORLD CUP
January 31: Willingen, Germany
– Daniel Tschofenig produced a strong showing in challenging conditions to help Austria claim second place in the Mixed Team event in Willingen. The 22-year-old helped his country to a combined score of 1031.4 points to finish behind Norway who achieved a score of 1070.8 from their eight jumps.
– There was also a strong showing from Andreas Wellinger on home snow as he helped Germany to secure third place, thanks to a combined score of 988.8 points. Sara Takanashi and Ryōyū Kobayashi also showed improved form as they helped Japan to secure fourth place.
February 1: Willingen, Germany
– Daniel Tschofenig continued his excellent run of form and extended his advantage in the race to win the Crystal Globe as he claimed victory in Willingen. The Austrian, who won his maiden Four Hills Tournament crown last month, delivered a massive 142m jump in the second round to finish well clear of Anze Lanisek.
February 2: Willingen, Germany
– Austria’s Daniel Tschofenig capped off a memorable weekend with his second victory in as many days, with his two impressive leaps seeing him finish with a mammoth total of 310.5 points. He now holds a 203-point advantage over countryman Jan Hoerl in the overall World Cup standings.
FIS NORDIC COMBINED WORLD CUP
January 31: Seefeld, Austria
– Austria’s Johannes Lamparter claimed second in Friday’s Men’s Individual Mass Start Normal Hill HS109/10.0 Km behind Norwegian Jarl Magnus Riiber with Jens Luraas Oftebro in third spot. The 23-year-old said: “All formats in one weekend is perfect for our sport and I really enjoyed it. I had a solid race and a perfect jump, but Jarl was just not beatable today.”
February 1: Seefeld, Austria
– Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger claimed third place in Saturday’s Men’s Individual Compact Normal Hill HS109/7.5 Km, finishing behind the Norwegian duo of Jens Luraas Oftebr and Jarl Magnus Riiber. Geiger held the lead going into the last climb but ran out of energy on the final stretch and eventually finished three seconds behind Oftebro.
February 2: Seefeld, Austria
– Vinzenz Geiger won a thrilling battle in Sunday’s 12.5km cross country to claim the first Seefeld ‘Triple’ of his career in the Viessmann FIS Nordic Combined World Cup. The German finished just 0.2 seconds clear of Jarl Magnus Riiber in second and 0.4s ahead of Jens Luraas Oftebro in third.
– It was Geiger’s fourth victory of the season and the 14th individual World Cup win of his career. He said: “It is a dream come true, a perfect day. I can’t say anymore. It was technically a perfect race.”
FIS SNOWBOARD WORLD CUP
February 2: Aspen, USA
– China’s Su Yiming excelled in tough conditions as he claimed second place in the slopestyle competition at the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen. The 20-year-old delivered a high-octane second run to score 78.36 and finish ahead of American Sean Fitzsimmons but behind Canada’s Francis Jobin. The result keeps him in second place in the slopestyle World Cup standings with two events remaining.
