12,000 spectators – 9,000 of them on Saturday and Sunday – watched in the last four days two Nordic major events in Oberwiesenthal: the Continental Cup for women in ski jumping and the Summer Grand Prix in Nordic Combined.
From Thursday to Friday, the international elite was greeted with perfect conditions at the Fichtelberg. A newly erected container village, better access roads, the hill refurbished last year, and many small technical improvements ensured that the organizing WSC Erzgebirge Oberwiesenthal could conduct four exciting competitions at the highest level despite the “double burden.” “The excitement and workload before the weekend were very high, but now — after these truly outstanding days — I can only thank all volunteers and helpers for their extra shifts. The same thanks go to the officials and sponsors who made this event possible. We have done justice to these international competitions and put on a professional event. Our motto ‘We for the Ore Mountains’ could not be more fitting!” says OK chief Peter Riedel.
Exciting competitions
In the ladies' ski jumping, favorite Sara Takanashi from Japan and strong junior Ema Klinec from Slovenia engaged in a close duel, both finishing with a first and a second place respectively.
In the team sprint of Nordic Combined, thanks to Bernhard Heber/Harald Lemmerer and their teammates Mario Seidl/David Pommer, there was an Austrian double victory. However, the undisputed highlight of the week was local favorite Eric Frenzel’s home win in the individual on Sunday ahead of his teammate Johannes Rydzek. 5,000 Ore Mountains locals and visiting ski fans watched the exciting individual race at the hill and in the Oberwiesenthal town center, which ended in a cheerful athletes’ refreshment bath at the Oberwiesenthal Market fountain.
Professional event
That the organizers around club president Peter Riedel had put on a high-quality event was shown not only by the 40 accredited media representatives or the positive feedback from politics, but also by the feedback from the FIS Nordic Combined race director, Lasse Ottesen, who made it clear: “If the president wants us here, we will come back immediately!”
Elmar Egg from Tschagguns, organizer of the season’s second Summer Grand Prix, was similarly impressed and used the visit to Oberwiesenthal for lively exchange. “It is unique how closely partners cooperate in the SGP of Nordic Combined. We learn from each other and can present athletes with even better competitions,” explains WSC president Peter Riedel. One innovation that future hosts may not need was the shower set up by the WSC on the course. At temperatures around 30°C, athletes could rush through a cool refreshment in the middle of the competition — an idea that found the most applause during the hot Sunday midday hours.
“The WSC has pig”
Based on an internal athlete joke, the organizers surprised Norwegian race director Lasse Ottesen on Saturday evening with a living pig as a gift. Due to Norway’s import regulations, Ottesen decided, however, to entrust his new pet to the WSC for “luck pig” care — lifelong visiting rights for the Norwegian are nevertheless included.