Quick Facts
Biography
Johannes Rydzek (born 9 December 1991) is a German nordic combined skier who has competed since 2006.
Career
He won a bronze medal in the 4 x 5 km team event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
He won five World Cup races. His first win came in March 2011, in Lahti, Finland. Also in 2011, at the World Championships, he finished second in the large hill Gundersen at Holmenkollen. The latest win, in Ruka, Finland, in 2014.
Johannes Rydzek, who was jumping for the first time shortly before his fifth birthday, discovered his passion for Nordic sports already at a young age. "I always went cross-country skiing with my parents. My dad was also a volunteer at the Four Hills Tournament and that was also a reason why I always wanted to jump", the "Junior-Athlete of the Year 2011" remembers. As a child, he first started ski jumping and cross-country skiing separately of each other. Johannes, who gave his World Cup debut in Kuusamo in 2008, is fascinated by the combination of speed and endurance which Nordic Combined has to offer.
Already at a young age, he can look back on some successes in his career and won three silver medals at World Championships and a bronze and a silver medal at Olympic Games so far. The resident of Oberstdorf, Germany, has another great achievement in his list of merits concerning the Summer Grand Prixs. In the past four years, he has always been able to win at least one competition in front of his home crowd, crowning his success with the win of the overall SGP ranking in 2011. With four total World Cup victories, three in the past winter season of 2013/14, the young German has really upped the ante and was hot on the heels of teammate Eric Frenzel, taking the second place in the overall World Cup ranking.
The year 2015 became the most successful in his career: Johannes Rydzek won 4 medals at World Championships in Falun. The result of 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal made him the most successful athlete at the Championships 2015.
The last break-through of Johannes Rydzek in 2015 became his nomination for the main sports award in Germany: "Sportspersonality of the Year" (German: Spotler des Jahres) 2015, where he was announced as a winner together with nordic combined team (nomination: Team of Year) and ranked as 3rd in personal voting by German broadcaster ZDF.
In October 2016 Johannes Rydzek wins his 6th title of German Champion in the town of Oberhof.
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