On Friday December 18, Tara Geraghty-Moats (USA) won the first women’s Nordic combined World Cup race ever. The competition took place in Ramsau (AUT).
While the 27-year-old American has won almost every Nordic Combined race she has entered, this one was different on several levels.
“It was amazing. I wasn’t thinking about winning. I wanted to get a medal, but more than anything, I wanted to race. I just wanted to enjoy the fact that this day was history in the making,” Geraghty-Moats says after the race.
“This was the most exciting Nordic Combined competition ever. Gyda Hansen (NOR) started out 39 seconds ahead of me, so I knew I had to push super hard on the hills. I caught her on the second loop, but she stuck with me and I only won by one second,” Geraghty-Moats says.
Related coverage:
Pioneering Nordic Combined: Meet Tara Geragthy-Moats
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The women are the winners
“After the race, I just sat there and couldn’t really believe it was true. But really, we were all winners out there today. We are the first women to compete in a Nordic Combined World Cup race. We have all worked really hard to get here, and I want to thank Madshus who has been with me the whole way and supported me on this journey,” Geraghty-Moats says.
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“When I started Nordic Combined five years ago, I never thought we would come this far”
For Geraghty-Moats, the road to the World Cup has been a long and uphill battle. Growing up in New Hampshire she loved skiing. Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski jumping and Nordic combined.
As a kid, she competed with the boys, because the races didn’t have a girls’ class in the races. But as a teenager, that was no longer an option. There were no Nordic combined races for women.
While women have competed in FIS ski jumping races, it wasn’t until 2018 that women were allowed to compete internationally in Nordic Combined, when FIS launched the first continental cups. This season, FIS launched a women’s Nordic Combined World Cup, and the women will be allowed to race in the FIS Nordic World Championships for the first time.
At Madshus, we are proud to support Geraghty-Moats in writing history and pioneering the sport!