Frenzel wins again; Prevc also top; Oeberg ends Norway reign

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DPA ©

Eric Frenzel of Germany in action during the ski jumping

 Germany's Eric Frenzel won his fifth race in a
row in the Nordic combined World Cup while Peter Prevc of Slovenia
beat Four Hills champion Stefan Kraft for a ski-jumping victory on
Saturday in Sapporo.
Norway meanwhile suffered a first season defeat in an individual
women's cross-country race in the absence of most of their stars,
with Sweden's Jennie Oeberg top of a sprint in Rybinsk, Russia, and
Italy's Federico Pellegrino winning the men's race.
Frenzel soared 138 metres on the Sapporo large hill and then topped
the 10-kilometres cross-country pursuit in 27 minutes 14.0 seconds.
Akito Watabe missed victory for hosts Japan by 1.8 seconds in second
place and American Taylor Fletcher matched a career-best third place
finish 3.5 seconds behind Frenzel, as neither was able to follow when
Frenzel attacked in the closing stages.
The world and Olympic champion Frenzel is in strong form again en
route to a third straight World Cup title and more silverware at next
month's world championships in Falun, Sweden.
He now has 23 career wins, seven for the season and topped the last
five competitions - all three stages of last weekend's Seefeld Triple
and both events in Sapporo.
"I am very happy to be top again today. It was another nice weekend
with two great competitions for me," Frenzel said.
The Nordic combined World Cup continues next weekend in Val di
Fiemme, Italy, with Frenzel dominating the World Cup on 821 points
far ahead of second-placed Watabe (541).
The ski-jumpers took to the Sapporo hill after the combined skiers,
with Prevc soaring 130 and 131 metres for a winning 276.4 points.
Austria's Kraft had 271.3 from 127.5m and 131m, and Czech Roman
Koudelka was third on 269.3 (127.5m, 130m).
Prevc got his fourth career win and a second in Sapporo following his
success there last year, and slightly made up ground on the leading
Kraft in the World Cup standings. Kraft has 957 points and Prevc 864,
with another large hill event set for Sunday in Sapporo.
The Norwegian women have completely ruled the women's cross-country
World Cup, but with the top three of Marit Bjoergen, Therese Johaug
and Heidi Weng chosing not to travel to Russia the door was open for
Oeberg to get her first career win from Russia's Natalia matveeva and
Swiss Laurien van der Graaf.
The men's side field was also without the top three in the World Cup
standings - holder Martin Johnsrud Sundby, fellow-Norwegian Petter
Northug and Swede Calle Halfvarsson - as Pellegrino claimed his third
career win by beating Russians Sergey Ustyugov and Andrey Parfenov.
Skiathlon races Sunday complete the Rybinsk programme.