Lahti NC: Kircheisen wins sprint; Demong 11th

Bill Demong, who won on Friday, finished 11th in Saturday's hurricane start nordic combined sprint at the Lahti Ski Games. Demong was 52 seconds back after the jump and finished 1 minute, 3.4 seconds behind winner Bjoern Kircheisen of Germany.
LAHTI, Finland — Bill Demong, who won on Friday, finished 11th in Saturday's hurricane start nordic combined sprint at the Lahti Ski Games. Demong was 52 seconds back after the jump and finished 1 minute, 3.4 seconds behind winner Bjoern Kircheisen of Germany.
    Bjorn Kircheisen of Germany won the hurricane sprint World Cup event at the Lahti Ski Games on Saturday.
    Finland’s Hannu Manninen continued as the overall leader.
    Felix Gottwald of Austria was runner-up Saturday, 14.2 seconds behind, and Jason Lamy Chappuis of France third, 30.5 back.
    In the premiere for a new type, fast-paced hurricane sprint, the athletes had to prepare for the cross-country portion event almost immediately after finishing their only ski jump.
    They were placed to start skiing at a distance from each another based on the lengths of the jump.
    Espen Rian of Norway won the jumping, as he did the day before. Rian was the only one to ski the minimum 7.5 kilometers. Eventual winner Kircheisen, a good skier, had to start 102 meters behind, and Manninen 540 meters behind after a mediocre jump.
    Manninen finished 14th but increased his overall combined World Cup lead by 12 points to 119 with two events left at Holmekollen, Norway.
    Manninen has 763 points, Norway’s Magnus Moan 644 and Christoph Bieler of Germany 643 points.
    “If Christoph Bieler regains the jumping form he had in the early season, he could be a bigger threat than Moan, but it is only theoretical,” Manninen said. “If I perform only normally I will keep the yellow leader vest.”

Demong still skiing well
    “To be 11th on a mediocre day still shows Billy’s skiing well. Hannu was third yesterday behind Bill and 14th today. Magnus [Moan — Norway’s Olympic and worlds silver medalist] was fifth yesterday and 25th today … so we learn from this, take the positives and keep going forward,” U.S. head coach Lasse Ottesen said.
    In the sprint, athletes get one jump and then race over 7.5 kilometers. In the Hurricane sprint, skiers are penalized so much distance — rather than the traditional time handicap — behind the top jumper and then line up in a swirl with everyone starting together, but with the field unrolling from the swirl as the athletes begin to go after the jumping leader.
    Demong, silver medalist in the individual event at worlds and winner of an individual competition Friday, was 16th in jumping and moved up five places in the race, finishing just over a minute back of German Bjoern Kircheisen. Felix Gottwald of Austria had the fastest sprint time and moved up from 13th to second, 14.2 seconds behind Kircheisen.
    “Billy had a good trial jump, but then was about four meters shorter in the comp, and that’s enough to hurt him,” Ottesen said. “He was a little early on the jump — since you only get one jump, he wanted to make sure it was a good one, but he pushed a little too hard and came up short … and that dropped him back to start the race …
    “And, I’ve got to admit, Billy didn’t have the skis he had yesterday. He’d catch up to everyone than they’d leave on the downhills … and he’d catch up again — he said he felt good and he skied like it — and then they’d take off again.”

World Cup nordic combined results
LAHTI, Finland — Results Saturday from a World Cup nordic combined hurricane sprint event, one ski jump, minimum 7.5-kilometer cross-country skiing (jump and ski placings in parentheses):

1. Bjorn Kircheisen, Germany, 18 minutes, 58.7 seconds (4-4).
2. Felix Gottwald, Austria, 14.2 seconds behind (13-1).
3. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France, 30.5 (8-9).
4. Christoph Bieler, Austria, 33.2 (5-13).
(tie) Anssi Koivuranta, Finland, 35.0 (6-14).
6. Petter L. Tande, Norway, 35.0 (7-12).
7. Mario Stecher, Austria, 42.1 (12-7).
8. Sebastian Haseney, Germany, 52.0 (21-5).
9. Espen Rian, Norway, 56.9 (1-28).
10. Ronny Heer, Germany, 1:02.9 (26-3).
11. Bill Demong, United States, 1:03.4 (16-11).
12. Ronny Ackermann, Germany, 1:04.6 (24-6).
13. Georg Hettich, Germany, 1:06.9 (10-17).
14. Hannu Manninen, Finland, 1:09.1 (28-2).
15. Jaakko Tallus, Finland, 1:09.8 (3-26).
Also
25. Magnus Moan, Norway, 2:08.9 (32-15).
33. Eric Camerota, United States, 3:06.6 (31-36).

World Cup standings
(After 13 of 15 events)
1. Hannu Manninen, Finland, 763 points.
2. Magnus Moan, Norway, 644.
3. Christoph Bieler, Austria, 643.
4. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France, 596.
5. Felix Gottwald, Austria, 572.
6. Anssi Koivuranta, Finland, 484.
7. Bjorn Kircheisen, Germany, 480.
8. Sebastian Haseney, Germany, 474.
9. Ronny Ackermann, Germany, 423.
10. Peter L. Tande, Norway, 403.
11. Bill Demong, Uinited States, 343.
12. Jaakko Tallus, Finland, 274.