Gruber
and Lodwick first winners of Nordic Combined Summer
Grand Prix
fis-ski.com
Berni Gruber (AUT) and Todd
Lodwick (USA) won the first competitions of the
Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix held in Sochi
(RUS) from 21st to 22nd July.
Gruber showcased his good shape by winning the Ski
Jumping events of both competitions. In Saturday’s
Cross-Country event, he started with a 7-second
advantage ahead of Akito Watabe (JAP) and managed
to finish 4.3 seconds ahead of Lodwick in the end.
On Sunday, Todd Lodwick turned the tables. Starting
from a fifth position he caught up with leader Gruber
on the third lap of the Cross-Country race and managed
to beat the Austrian in a tight sprint finish. Gruber's
teammate Tomaz Druml also showed a strong performance
by capturing third after starting from 11th position.
The Grand Prix not only brought about close competitions
but also boiling temperatures amounting to 36°Celsius
on Sunday. "There were tendencies of overheating,
so we needed to think about the athletes’ health
and safety" underlined Chief of Competition,
Dimitry Dubrovski. This is why a water station was
set up for the Cross-Country race.
The second day winner Todd Lodwick was impressed
with the Organizing Committee: "The Organizers
have made us feel like VIPs and done everything
possible for us to enjoy our stay here. It was very
warm today, and the water station helped me to gain
energy. I needed to beat Gruber at the end."
Gruber also drew a very positive conclusion: "What
a great weekend. I felt very good before the trip
to Sochi but getting this confirmed by a first and
a second place is a very nice feeling. Getting to
know the 2014 Olympic hill and trails could not
have started out any better."
