On the upcoming weekend in Lillehammer, a new competition format will have its debut in the nordic combined World Cup: the Penalty Race. So it's about time to take a closer look on what characterizes this innovation.
The most important difference to the Gundersen-format is that the ski jumping performances are not converted into time differences but in penalty laps. For that, the jumping hill will be divided into four different zones that are marked in color. If a jumper reaches the top zone on the landing area, he has to run four penalty laps, if he lands in the lowest zone he only has to run one penalty lap - two or three in the other zones. Jumps farther than the lowest zone lead to no penalty laps and this will be the goal of the strong jumpers in the field. Interesting detail: If a jumper has a really bad jump and doesn't reach any of the goals the competition is already over for him. He will not be allowed to start in the cross country race.
For the cross country race very athlete will get a colored armband that will thel in which zone he landed and how many penalty laps he has to run. The winner of the jumping portion will get a ten-second lead and will also start ten meters ahead of the field that will start in a mass start.
The race will be held on a 2 km course, five laps have to be run. The athletes can decide when they want to run their penalty laps, but it's not allowed during the first or the final lap. "I think that because of this possibility we will see a more tactical cross country race", said FIS coordinator Lasse Ottesen.
It will be just as easy as in the Gundersen-format to see who is the winner of the race. The athlete who crosses the finish line first, won the Penalty Race. This format might be exciting for spectators and athletes. Will the athletes remember to run their penalty laps? Which groups will form and break again - how and when - because of a different number of penalty laps?
World Champion Eric Frenzel is positive about the new formal: "We already had a Penalty Race in Oberwiesenthal this summer and it was very interesting. In winter it will be even better, also because the penalty laps will be run in the stadium."
"In order to develop the sport and make it more interesting especially for the spectators, we have invented this format also especially because of a request of the athletes to have more variety", Lasse Ottesen told. And also Eric Frenzel is sure: "This is a step forward for nordic combined."
Silke Tegethof