 Rydzek in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1991-12-09)9 December 1991 (age 33) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Skiing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | SC Oberstdorf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 2008– | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. starts | 268 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. podiums | 44 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. wins | 18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbest(s) | 204.0 m (669.3 ft) Oberstdorf, 17 March 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 30 November 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Johannes Rydzek (German pronunciation:[joˈha.nəsˈʁʏ.t͡sɛk]ⓘ; born 9 December 1991) is a Germannordic combined skier. He became Olympic champion on the large hill in2018 and won six World Champion titles at the Nordic World Ski Championships in2015 and2017.[1]
Rydzek has had a remarkable career in Nordic Combined, marked by numerous accolades at the World Championships, World Cups, and the Olympics. He debuted in theWorld Cup in Kuusamo in2008.
He first gained international recognition with a bronze medal in the4 x 5 km team event at the2010 Winter Olympics inVancouver.
Over his career, he has secured 18 World Cup victories, with his first win in March 2011 inLahti,Finland. That same year, he earned a silver medal in the Large Hill Gundersen event at theWorld Championships inHolmenkollen.
Rydzek discovered his passion for Nordic sports at an early age, starting ski jumping shortly before his fifth birthday. Inspired by his father, a volunteer at theFour Hills Tournament, and his family outings on cross-country skis, Rydzek developed a fascination for the unique combination of speed and endurance in Nordic Combined.
At a young age, he can look back on some successes in his career, winning three silver medals at World Championships and a bronze and silver medal at Olympic Games. The resident of Oberstdorf, Germany, has another great achievement in his list of merits concerning the Summer Grand Prix. 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 upped the ante and was hot on the heels of teammateEric Frenzel, taking second place in the overall World Cup ranking.
By 2015, Rydzek had achieved unprecedented success, winning four medals at theWorld Championships inFalun: two gold, one silver, and one bronze, making him the most decorated athlete of the competition.[2]
The last break-through of Johannes Rydzek in 2015 became his nomination for the main sports award in Germany: "Sportspersonality of the Year" (German: Sportler des Jahres) 2015, where he was announced as a winner together with thenordic combined team (nomination: Team of Year) and ranked as 3rd in personal voting by German broadcasterZDF.
In October 2016 Johannes Rydzek wins his 6th title of German Champion in the town of Oberhof.[3][4]
In 2017, Rydzek was named Germany's "Sportsman of the Year" after an extraordinary season, further cementing his reputation as one of the best athletes in the sport's history.[5]
At the2018 Winter Olympics, Rydzek won a gold medal in the Individual Gundersen LH/10 km Cross-Country, finishing before his teammatesFabian Rießle andEric Frenzel.[6] This also marked the first time since 1976 that three German athletes managed to secure medals in the same Nordic combined event at Olympic Games.[7] On 22 February he clinched another gold medal in the Men’s Team competition with Rießle, Frenzel, andVinzenz Geiger, solidifying Germany's dominance in Nordic Combined.[8]
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the sport, Rydzek was awarded the prestigiousHolmenkollen Medal in 2021.[9]
Rydzek is the brother of cross-country skierColetta Rydzek.[10]
| Event | Normal hill | Large hill | Team relay |
|---|---|---|---|
 2010 Vancouver | 28 | — | Bronze |
 2014 Sochi | 6 | 8 | Silver |
 2018 Pyeongchang | 5 | Gold | Gold |
 2022 Beijing | 5 | 28 | — |
| Year | Individual LH | Individual NH | Team | Team sprint/ Mixed team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 2011 Holmenkollen | Silver | 4 | Silver | Silver |
 2013 Val di Fiemme | 10 | 30 | — | — |
 2015 Falun | Bronze | Gold | Gold | Silver |
 2017 Lahti | Gold | Gold | Gold | Gold |
 2019 Seefeld | 9 | 8 | Silver | — |
 2021 Oberstdorf | 17 | 28 | — | — |
 2023 Planica | 16 | — | Silver | — |
| 2025 Trondheim | 11 | 14 | — | — |
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010–11 | 12 March 2011 | Lahti | HS130 / 10 km |
| 2 | 2013–14 | 28 February 2014 | Lahti | HS130 / 10 km |
| 3 | 6 March 2014 | Trondheim | HS140 / 10 km | |
| 4 | 8 March 2014 | Oslo | HS134 / 10 km | |
| 5 | 2014–15 | 29 November 2014 | Ruka | HS142 / 10 km |
| 6 | 2015–16 | 23 February 2016 | Kuopio | HS127 / 10 km |
| 7 | 2016–17 | 26 November 2016 | Ruka | HS142 / 10 km |
| 8 | 27 November 2016 | Ruka | HS142 / 10 km | |
| 9 | 17 December 2016 | Ramsau | HS98 / 10 km | |
| 10 | 21 January 2017 |  Chaux-Neuve | HS118 / 10 km | |
| 11 | 27 January 2017 | Seefeld | HS109 / 5 km | |
| 12 | 28 January 2017 | Seefeld | HS109 / 10 km | |
| 13 | 4 February 2017 | PyeongChang | HS140 / 10 km | |
| 14 | 5 February 2017 | PyeongChang | HS140 / 10 km | |
| 15 | 2017–18 | 26 November 2017 | Ruka | HS142 / 10 km |
| 16 | 4 March 2018 | Lahti | HS130 / 10 km | |
| 17 | 2018–19 | 11 January 2019 | Val di Fiemme | HS135 / 10 km |
| 18 | 2024–25 | 30 November 2024 | Ruka | HS142 / 10 km |
| 7.5 km sprint | |
|---|---|
| 10 km individual large hill | |
}
