The Nordic World Cup fireworks kick off on Thursday, September 12, with the Eliminator Sprint. The overall victory there will most likely go to Austria's Daniel Federspiel. Should Simon Gegenheimer (GER), currently in second place, win the final run, a 15th place would be enough for European champion Federspiel to clinch overall victory. Marcel Wildhaber is currently eighth. With good legs and a bit of luck, the Swiss champion could still make it into the top five in the final standings.

The women's race looks better. If Kathrin Stirnemann beats world champion Alexandra Engen from Sweden, she can be celebrated as the overall winner of the Eliminator World Cup. If Stirnemann has a total failure, she can no longer be displaced from second place overall. Jolanda Neff and Linda Indergand still have the chance to move up to third place.

In cross-country, Nino Schurter has already secured his third overall World Cup victory ahead of time. The man from Graubünden could even afford a total failure in Hafjell. His fiercest rival Julien Absalon (FRA) will not be competing due to his broken ribs and will be taking an early vacation. Lukas Flückiger, Mathias Flücker and Fabian Giger could even catapult themselves into the top three. However, Daniel McConnell (AUS) and Ondrej Cink (CZE) would have to fall a long way back for that to happen, which is less likely.

There is also still a good chance of Swiss podium places in the U23 categories. Reto Indergand's starting position is optimal with second place overall. With a win, the 22-year-old could still take the overall victory. However, the current leader, German Markus Schulte-Lünzum, is likely to finish twelfth at best. On the other hand, Indergand can't afford to do anything to hold on to second place. Hugo Drechou (FRA) is hot on his heels. In the U23 women's race, Andrea Waldis, currently in fourth place, still has a good chance of finishing on the podium. However, Sweden's Jenny Rissveds has practically the same chances, as she is only ten points behind Waldis.

Tension in the downhill showdown
The downhill faction meets in the Hafiell Bike Park for the second-to-last clash of the World Cup season. It remains to be seen whether Great Britain's Gee Atherton can extend his lead or even win the World Cup early. However, Canadian Steve Smith will have something against that. Having failed as a title contender at the World Championships due to a stupid slip-up, Smith is hotly tipped for overall World Cup victory. His maps are good. The Canadian is in impressive form and the course in Hafjell suits him. The 24-year-old proved the latter with his World Cup victory at the same venue last year.

From a Swiss perspective, there is also plenty to look forward to. Nick Beer started the season with a few difficulties, but has steadily improved since then. With his fifth place at the 2012 World Cup final in Hafiell, the Swiss champion announced his ambitions on this course. Beer proved that he is in top form with his sixth place at the World Championships.Rachel Atherton (GBR), as World Champion and World Cup leader, is the clear favorite to win the day and the overall World Cup. While the title can no longer be taken away from her, she is still vulnerable in the World Cup rankings. If Emmeline Ragot (FRA), who is currently in second place, finishes well ahead of Atherton in the next two races, she can still snatch overall victory from the Briton.
Emilie Siegenthaler, an ambitious Swiss rider, is also in contention for a podium finish in the women's field. If she rides as strongly as she did at the last World Cup in Canada, the 27-year-old could still make it into the top five overall. Miriam Ruchti and Martina Brühlmann are two other Swiss women chasing World Cup points.

Noel Niederberger has a good chance of riding onto the podium again in the juniors. There is still a lot in the overall standings for the 18-year-old, even though the apprentice forest ranger has slipped to fourth place overall. For the two other Swiss juniors, Joel Andrey and Myles Weber, the aim is to gain experience. With a good run, the two could make it into the points for the first time.

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