Norway navigate tricky conditions to land team World Cup gold under the lights in Willingen

Norway navigated the treacherous Willingen conditions to grab team World Cup glory under the Friday night lights.

Silje Opseth, Anna Odine Stroem, Marius Lindvik and Halvor Egner Granerud joined forces to topple Austria by 35.5 points as hosts Germany bagged the final spot on the podium.

The result meant Norway turned the tables on Austria after their second-place finish in Titisee-Neustadt and Opseth, a three-time World Championship medallist, believes battling the tricky terrain held the key to their success.

The 23-year-old said: “We had a lot of fun today despite the difficult conditions.

“We all managed strong jumps today and that’s what we compete for. A team victory is very special, it is one of the best experiences you can have in ski jumping.

“That was an exciting competition, it’s almost blowing us away here, I have to hold the skis so they don’t fall over.

“I have some respect in these conditions, I think that’s human with my history.”

The Norwegian team racked up 450.6 points as the Austrians, spearheaded by eight-time World Cup event winner Eva Pinkelnig, were unable to hit the heights of when they won the first event of the season back in December.

Germany finished 5.3 points behind Austria to beat Japan to the final medal as preparations now ramp up for the World Championships at the end of this month.

Pinkelnig, 34, said: “It’s actually cool that I’m still ski jumping at all. The subconscious is working and we will work on this subconscious so that I can step on the gas more and more.

“If you don’t step on the gas on this hill, you’ll land very early and that’s the challenge I’m taking on and I’m looking forward to it.”