Ski jumping: Combined rider Riiber causes a stir with a 241-meter jump

In the Nordic combined, Jarl Magnus Riiber is the measure of all things. Now the Norwegian has also caused a stir among ski jumpers in Vikersund.

A 241-meter flight by Jarl Magnus Ripper has sparked discussions about a ski jumping spectacle record. The 25-year-old Reber is actually a Nordic athlete, but this weekend he will compete as the first ski jumper at the giant facility in Vikersund. In a test run, the Norwegian flew straight to a distance of 241 meters and thus much farther than all the other pilots.

However, the Reaper leaned in too deeply and grabbed the snow with one hand, as evidenced by the video recordings. At first, it was not clear if the distance would hold a record for the Nordic countries combined. Fabian Steindl holds the record to date. In 2016, the Austrian flew 229 meters in Kulm. The official record in the “Monsterbakken” in Vikersund is held by his compatriot Stefan Kraft with a distance of 253.5 meters from 2017.

Riiber has been the measure of all things Nordic combined for years. At the Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica, he recently won four gold medals in four competitions. The Norwegian can also confidently compete in the private jump. However, Riiber recently ruled out a change of ski jumpers.

Combined as a pre-pilot

There are no flying competitions for the combined athletes, and until this winter there were no ski jumping competitions for women either. Mixed athletes such as the Ripper or the Germans around Johannes Rydzik start out as leading pilots more often. On Sunday (10 a.m. on the sports show’s live broadcast), the women face off for the first time in a World Cup at the world record facility in Vikersund.