Mario Seidl celebrating his first weltcup victory

At the beginning of a new season a dream came true for Mario Seidl from Salzburg. The 26-year old gained his first weltcup victory in Ruka, Finland.

Seidl gained some great results – with a second and a third place 2017 in Pyeongchang and a third place in March 2018 in Oslo – three places at the podium so far. He had the right way, the right results and was already several times close to the best athletes of the world in nordic combination.

His winning on November the 24^th in 2018 near the polar circle in Ruka was a result of his excellent jumping performance and a solid cross-country-skiing achievement. The fundament for the first place was set already on the jump. With an overwhelming jump of 145,5 (!) meters Mario Seidl placed himself with a huge gap on the top of the field. With comfortable 57 seconds head start to the first competitor and probably the man to beat this season Jarl Magnus Riiber, Seidl started the cross-country ski run. During the run Riiber in fact was able to diminish the gap, nevertheless he was not a danger for Seidl in this competition this day. At the end Seidl was celebrating a start-finish-victory, the first weltcup victor in his career, and the first victory for Austrian nordic combination participants since Berni Gruber in 2016.

Mario Seidl: “Standing on the top of a worldcup discipline is an indescribably great feeling. I was able to show a great jump and therefore placed myself in a great starting position for the cross-country ski run. It has always been a dream for me to be on the top in a worldcup competition and the fact I made it today is really indescribably beautiful to me.