Nordic World Championships TICKER

LIVE from 3 p.m.: Mass start competition in women’s combined

Lisa Hirner

(Bild: GEPA)

First day of competition at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim: The first medal decision with red-white-red participation is at stake in the mass start competition of the Nordic combined women. Can Lisa Hirner, Claudia Purker, Annalena Slamik and Katharina Gruber be in the running for gold, silver and bronze? We will report live (see below)!

 

Here is the LIVETICKER:

After months of suffering from health issues, Lisa Hirner is fit to compete at the Nordic World Championships in Trondheim. The hopeful of the red-white-red combined athletes is hoping for a top place in the mass start after the 5 km cross-country (3 pm) and the jumping (5 pm). However, the 21-year-old Styrian, who suffers from an autoimmune disease, traveled to Norway with a lot of training behind her.

"I'm really happy that I can be up here and that I'm not ill. Of course it hasn't been easy over the last few weeks," said Hirner, who has been battling a weakened immune system for some time, in the Rosenborg Stadium. After a long period of puzzling and searching, she finally received a diagnosis after the home World Cup in Seefeld at the beginning of February, which she had to skip due to physical weakness: Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Hirner remains positive
"With the diagnosis, at least I now have something to work with and, above all, something I can do about it. It's not too bad now," said Hirner positively. She now has to watch her diet, eat gluten- and sugar-free food (except fruit) and take supplements to reduce the currently high levels. "Then there should be no restrictions for sport. I wasn't ill again after Seefeld, which is a good sign," emphasized Hirner, who finished third and fifth at the start of the season in Lillehammer.

After the Seefeld triple, Hirner took it easy on her body and didn't train for a week. "I can tell on the cross-country ski run that I've missed a lot of training. It's not quite as easy as I would like it to be. It's definitely not going to be one of the faster times," said Hirner, who took bronze with the mixed team at the World Championships in Planica two years ago: "I can only surprise myself now."

Top favorites from Norway
A tight program awaits the combined athletes with three competitions in four days. The mixed team will be competing for medals again on Friday, before the World Championships end for Hirner and Co. with an individual competition on Sunday. The roles are clearly defined. The top favorite is the Norwegian local hero Ida Marie Hagen, who has celebrated eight victories this season. Compatriot and defending champion Gyda Westvold Hansen is also a force to be reckoned with, as is Germany's Nathalie Armbruster, who leads the overall World Cup.

In addition to Hirner, Claudia Purker, Annalena Slamik and Katharina Gruber will also be competing in the ÖSV team. Purker recently came close to the podium with a fifth place in Otepää, while Annalena Slamik finished tenth twice in Estonia. "Everyone is well prepared and everyone has done their homework," said head coach Wilhelm Denifl, who has high hopes for Hirner: "A lot is possible. The World Championships are often a bit special and we're banking on that."