OBERSTDORF, Germany — Tara Geraghty-Moats had her historic moment on Saturday, participating in the first women’s Nordic combined event in FIS World Ski Championships. She’ll be looking for a better result the next time around.
The 27-year-old from West Fairlee finished fifth in the inaugural competition, unable to make up through cross country skiing a large deficit from the jumping portion of the competition. Still, Geraghty-Moats — who has been a significant force in getting women’s Nordic combined on FIS radar — professed herself happy with the day.
“I came in fifth place in the world today,” she said in a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team news release. “Maybe it wasn’t my best day, but there’s no way I can’t be happy about that. It was the first-ever World Championships for women and many more chances to fight for the medals.”
Saturday’s event followed a familiar narrative: Geraghty-Moats had to use her cross country chops to make up for a ski jumping deficit.
Geraghty-Moats placed 18th out of 29 athletes, jumping 86 meters and scoring 94.6 points. Her leap was well behind the 107-meter jump of leader Mari Leinan Lund of Norway and left Geraghty-Moats needing to make up 2 minutes, 13 seconds in the 5K cross country race to follow.
As she’s done before, Geraghty-Moats posted the best Nordic ski time, winning in 12:06.8. Norway’s Gyda Hansen Westvold, fourth in the skiing half (13:07.4), held off Lund for the overall victory, with countrywoman Marte Leinan Lund third to complete a Norwegian podium sweep.
Geraghty-Moats and Westvold know each other well, battling for honors on the FIS Continental Cup circuit in recent years. Geraghty-Moats came back from a ski jumping deficit in similar fashion to nip her rival by 1.5 seconds to win the first FIS World Cup women’s Nordic combined event in Ramsau, Austria, in December.