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Athlete of the Week: Johannes Rydzek (GER)
It is no secret that the worth of an athlete is not only determined by his or her successes but also by the way they are dealing with failures and difficult situations. Our Athlete of the Week proved he knows how to work both end of the spectrum this weekend.
Coming out of the summer as the undisputed best Nordic Combined athlete, Germany’s Johannes Rydzek worked hard to lower the expectations before the World Cup Opener: he had struggled with his jumping shape in the fall and wasn’t sure what to expect from the first competitions of the winter. It turned out, not much had changed compared to his summer performance. With a ninth rank in the Provisional Competition Round, Rydzek was in business and could rely on his usual strength on the cross-country course to surpass his competitors on the last uphill and take the first victory of the season.
Slightly surprised by his great start into the season, Rydzek was basking in the (unfamiliar, as teammate Eric Frenzel had been occupying it for a good while in the past) glory of wearing the yellow bib the evening after his win: „Uuunbelievable! Me in yellow!? Does it actually look good on me?!“.
Next morning, disaster struck. Rydzek and teammate Fabian Rießle definitely were on the „to watch“-list before the competition started when the 22-year old had a completely bad jump on Ruka’s HS 142 hill and landed at only 114.5 metres.
But like the world-class athletes that he and Sochi bronze medallist Fabian Riessle are, even a +01:26 time disadvantage did not dissuade the Germans. With fury driving their performance, Rydzek set the second-fastest individual cross-country time and the fastest team time together with Fabian Rießle sent Team GermanyI to a final fourth place, minimizing the damage.
A fighting spirit like this definitely calls for the honours of „Athlete of the Week“ for the man in the yellow bib. With two Individual Gundersen competitions coming up in Lillehammer on the next weekend, the question of how long Rydzek’s reign will continue will be tackled soon. Or as Rydzek wrote on his facebook page: „Let’s keep on rocking!“
Coming out of the summer as the undisputed best Nordic Combined athlete, Germany’s Johannes Rydzek worked hard to lower the expectations before the World Cup Opener: he had struggled with his jumping shape in the fall and wasn’t sure what to expect from the first competitions of the winter. It turned out, not much had changed compared to his summer performance. With a ninth rank in the Provisional Competition Round, Rydzek was in business and could rely on his usual strength on the cross-country course to surpass his competitors on the last uphill and take the first victory of the season.
Slightly surprised by his great start into the season, Rydzek was basking in the (unfamiliar, as teammate Eric Frenzel had been occupying it for a good while in the past) glory of wearing the yellow bib the evening after his win: „Uuunbelievable! Me in yellow!? Does it actually look good on me?!“.
Next morning, disaster struck. Rydzek and teammate Fabian Rießle definitely were on the „to watch“-list before the competition started when the 22-year old had a completely bad jump on Ruka’s HS 142 hill and landed at only 114.5 metres.
But like the world-class athletes that he and Sochi bronze medallist Fabian Riessle are, even a +01:26 time disadvantage did not dissuade the Germans. With fury driving their performance, Rydzek set the second-fastest individual cross-country time and the fastest team time together with Fabian Rießle sent Team GermanyI to a final fourth place, minimizing the damage.
A fighting spirit like this definitely calls for the honours of „Athlete of the Week“ for the man in the yellow bib. With two Individual Gundersen competitions coming up in Lillehammer on the next weekend, the question of how long Rydzek’s reign will continue will be tackled soon. Or as Rydzek wrote on his facebook page: „Let’s keep on rocking!“
Source: fis-ski.com
