Ski jumping, biathlon, sledding
Engelberg / Hochfilzen (dpa) – The last winter sports Sunday before Christmas has it all again. The first mass start races of the season take place at the biathlon in Hochfilzen, Austria. And in Switzerland two former top ski jumpers are under pressure.
Tobogganers and cross-country skiers are out and about in Winterberg and Dresden – due to the coronavirus pandemic, spectators are also missing at these World Cup events.
SKI JUMPING
World Cup in Engelberg, Switzerland
Large hill, men
4 pm (ARD and Eurosport)
Final rehearsal before the Four Hills Tournament! In the last single before the prestige event at the turn of the year, top athlete Markus Eisenbichler and Co. want to show themselves in the best of shape again. The team of national coach Stefan Horngacher has to do without the Corona-infected ski flying world champion Karl Geiger. For him, the tour, which begins on December 28th with a qualification in Geiger’s home town of Oberstdorf, could become a race against time. For the second ski jumping series around the former top performers Severin Freund and Andreas Wellinger, it is the last chance to recommend yourself for the tour contest.
BIATHLON
World Cup in Hochfilzen, Austria
12.00 p.m .: mass start, men (ARD and Eurosport)
2.25 p.m.: Mass start women (ARD and Eurosport)
In the last two World Cup races of the year, the German biathletes hope for top placements in Hochfilzen. “Pinch your ass cheeks again and see what else is possible,” said Franziska Preuss before the spectacular mass start. The Bavarian was the best German in the sprint (4th) and pursuit (6th) and, like Denise Herrmann, is hoping for the second individual podium of the season. In the women and men, the Norwegians have to be beaten, who have won all four Hochfilzen races so far. In the men’s category, ex-world champions Benedikt Doll, Erik Lesser and Arnd Peiffer qualified for the first season’s duel among the top 30.
NORDIC COMBINATION
World Cup in Ramsau am Dachstein (Austria), men
11 a.m .: Ski jumping on the normal hill (ARD and Eurosport)
3.15 p.m .: 10 kilometers of cross-country skiing (ARD and Eurosport)
On Saturday, Vinzenz Geiger demonstrated how to defeat Dominator Jarl Magnus Riiber. The Oberstdorfer jumped strongly, then ran towards the cross-country ski run and on the last few meters of the race also passed the Norwegian Riiber. After a three-week break, the combiners are in good shape, especially on the ski jump. In the last race before Christmas, the team headed by national coach Hermann Weinbuch should now have a sense of achievement.
SLEDGING
World Cup in Winterberg
8:25 a.m .: Men, 1st run
10.00 a.m .: Men, 2nd run
12.00: Sprint double
12.45pm: Sprint Women
1:25 p.m .: Sprint men (ARD from approx. 9 a.m., Eurosport from 8:20 a.m.)
Last season, Felix Loch did not start because of the adversities in the Winterberger Eiskanal, this time the 2010 and 2014 Olympic champion is returning to the Sauerland as a serial winner. With three successes in the first three World Cup races of the new season plus one victory in the sprint, the 31-year-old has found his form and is the favorite at the start. The defending champion in Winterberg is teammate Johannes Ludwig, who started and won in February despite difficult track conditions. The three sprint races are also on the Sunday program.
LANGLAUF
World Cup in Dresden
12.45 pm: Women’s Finals (Eurosport)
13.15: Men’s Final (Eurosport)
The Sprint World Cup in Dresden comes to an end with the team competitions. There are two men and women who have to run three laps each. After the sobering results in the individual sprints on Saturday, the DSV runners want to make amends. At least the finals are the declared goal of the protégés of national coach Peter Schlickenrieder.
ALPINE SKIING
World Cup in Alta Badia, Italy
Giant slalom, men
10.00 a.m .: 1st round: 10.00 a.m. (ARD and Eurosport) 1.30 p.m .: 2nd round: 1.30 p.m. (ARD and Eurosport)
World Cup in Val d’Isère, France
Super-G ladies
11.00 am (ARD and Eurosport)
After the two speed events in Val Gardena, it is now the turn of the technicians in the Dolomites. In the giant slalom in Alta Badia, the German ski aces Stefan Luitz and Alexander Schmid want to attack the top ranks. In France, Kira Weidle is now in the Super-G after her strong fifth place in Saturday’s downhill.
BOB
World Cup in Innsbruck / Igls, Austria
10.00 a.m .: Men, two-man bobsleigh, run 1 11.30 a.m .: Men, two-man bobsleigh, run 2 (ARD approx. 13.05 p.m.)
Record world champion Francesco Friedrich finally wants to have the start record on the track in Innsbruck / Igls after the track record has again improved. “That is always our goal,” said the double Olympic champion after the sovereign victory on Saturday. Johannes Lochner wants to check his setup and counter it again. Debutant Hans-Peter Hannighofer could even claim his first podium in the World Cup after finishing fourth.
SKI FREESTYLE
World Cup in Val Thorens, France
Ski cross, women and men
10.00 a.m .: (ARD Livestream)
After the first of two World Cup races had to be canceled on Saturday due to gusts of wind, the ski crossers are hoping for competitions on Sunday. The German starters around Daniela Maier want to return the favor for a botched season opener during the week in Switzerland.
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