L'Allemand Björn Kircheisen a remporté samedi l'épreuve individuelle d'Almaty (Kazakhstan), étape de la Coupe du monde de combiné nordique sur laquelle ont fait l'impasse les ténors du circuit dont son compatriote Eric Frenzl et le Français Jason Lamy-Chappuis.
Kircheisen a signé sa 16e victoire sur le circuit, la première depuis mars 2011, en devançant de 5 sec 3/10 le Japonais Akiko Watabe et de 10 sec 2/10 l'Autrichien Christoph Bieler.
Meilleur Français Geoffrey Lafarge 26e, Nicolas Martin termine 30e et Samuel Guy 34e.
Frenzl, lauréat de quatre des cinq précédentes épreuves, reste leader de la Coupe du monde avec 754 points devant le champion olympique et du monde Lamy-Chappuis (653 pts).
La seconde épreuve d'Almaty marque dimanche la dernière sortie avant les Mondiaux (20 février-3 mars) à Val di Fiemme (avec AFP)
Les réactions (source FIS) :
Björn Kircheisen (GER): "I had big problems at the beginning of the season, especially the jumping was very bad. The shape is a little bit better now but of course I came here, knowing I had to deliver a top result as so many of the top athletes were absent. This morning, my jumps were okay, not perfect, but okay. In the race, I started easy and pushed it harder and harder each round. In the end, I had a great finish!"
Akito Watabe (JPN): "It was a hard day for me, it's quite difficult to recover after a fall like in Sochi. But I had a good jump and the cross-country skiing was also good. I am quite happy to be on the podium today.
https://soundcloud.com/fisnc/akito-watabe-almaty-individual
Christoph Bieler (AUT): "It was a great day for me. I've had a quite long break now because I have been sick but also because of the birth of my son Jakob. I have been feeling very good on this hill from the start and was able to get me a good starting position for the cross-country race. I am overjoyed to be back on the podium after a four-year absence! I feel wonderful and I think to achieve this right before the World Championships is absolutely the best point in time!"
Classement de la Coupe du monde (après 15 des 19 épreuves):
1. Eric Frenzel (GER) 754 points
2. Jason Lamy-Chappuis (FRA) 653
3. Bernhard Gruber (AUT) 568
4. Magnus Moan (NOR) 559
5. Timo Edelmann (GER) 454
6. Akiko Watabe (JPN) 431
...
8. Sébastien Lacroix (FRA) 329
19. François Braud (FRA) 172
27. Maxime Laheurte (FRA) 123
Photo : Nordic Focus