In just a few days Nordic Combined will take yet another step forward: the inaugural Ladies’ Summer Grand Prix takes place in Oberwiesenthal (GER). In two Individual Gundersen events, last winter’s Continental Cup winner Stefaniya Nadymova (RUS) has to prove that she is still the one to beat.
The 2018 edition of the men’s Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix features four venues in three different countries, just like in 2017. This time, the journey goes from Oberwiesenthal (GER) to Villach (AUT), further to Oberstdorf (GER) and finally Planica (SLO).Austria’s Mario Seidl had a strong run last year, winning three of the six individual events. He missed the Summer Grand Prix victory only because he did not start in the finals in Planica.
For ladies and men, the Grand Prix is a welcome opportunity to check their current condition against the international competition and get a first idea as to where the athletes stand going into a full winter with the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2019 in Seefeld (AUT) as the highlight for the men and the first-ever FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championship medals for the ladies, which will be on the line in Lahti (FIN) inlate January.
As always in the summer, the winner’s lists of the different events are anyone’s guess, but one thing is for sure: it will be great to see the Nordic allrounders return to competition mode again.
Source: fis-ski.com
