Eric Frenzel was missing from the podium when his team won silver.

The Olympic mascot, which the Nordic Combined athletes received as their first recognition of their performance, lay on the spot that was actually intended for him.

"Eric has exhausted himself completely," said national coach Hermann Weinbuch on ARD after the team competition.

"That with Corona will probably have done the rest."

Completely exhausted, Frenzel was accompanied by supervisors through the ice-cold Zhangjiakou Olympic cross-country stadium.

Previously, he had been pumped out in the snow for about a minute.

However, the German team doctor Stefan Pecher was able to quickly give the all-clear after Frenzels slumped.

“It is mainly hypothermia, the circulation is stable again.

Of course, the strain was a bit high due to the massive initial pace after the long quarantine, but no damage to health is to be expected.

He's doing much better again," said Pecher.

Frenzel himself was able to laugh again a little later and give interviews.

"I just found out we took silver," he said a few minutes after missing the ceremony.

"I'm so happy."

In a gripping race on Thursday, final runner Vinzenz Geiger secured the silver medal for the German combined athletes at the Winter Games in China.

Geiger, Frenzel, who was only released from the corona quarantine three days earlier, Manuel Faißt and Julian Schmid only had to admit defeat to Norway on Thursday.

Surprisingly, bronze went to Japan.

Violinist with a furious catch-up race

The gap between the Germans and gold was 54.9 seconds at the finish.

For Weinbuch's team it was the second medal at these Winter Games after Geiger's Olympic victory in the individual competition on the normal hill.

"They were perfect games for me," said Geiger.

"I'm over the moon with two medals in my bag."

At temperatures around minus ten degrees, the German combined athletes went into the decisive cross-country race over 4 x 5 kilometers in third place.

In ski jumping from the large hill, the teams from Austria and Norway, which competed without their high-flyer Jarl Magnus Riiber after his corona infection, were slightly better.

Starting runner Faißt, who had moved up to the team, took the lead early on and handed it over to Schmid.

The 22-year-old lost a little on Austria and Norway.

When Frenzel started, he was 4.2 seconds behind the leader.

However, the veteran had big problems, fell further behind and sent anchor Geiger into the race in fourth place, 36.9 seconds behind in first place and around 26 seconds on silver and bronze.

The man from Oberstdorf showed a furious mileage and led the team onto the podium.

Frenzel strong on the hill

Frenzel, who had tested positive for the corona virus when he entered China, had only trained on the gigantic ski jump for the first time the day before the competition.

There and at the cross-country test, he convinced national coach Weinbuch.

The experienced coach nominated the Saxon and did without the two-time Olympic champion from Pyeongchang, Johannes Rydzek.

Frenzel, who kept fit during quarantine by jogging in the room and on the ergometer, jumped 132 meters.

Only Geiger from the German team managed another sentence.

On the running track, however, Frenzel was not nearly as strong as usual.

"I'm glad the others fixed what I screwed up," he said.

Also thanks to his teammates in a good mood, the record world champion has already won the seventh Olympic medal of his career.

After the hard days of isolation, this should have a very special meaning, even if it didn't go gold like it did once in 2014 and twice in 2018.

Frenzel's mother, who works as an educator, was excited about her work with the children.

With two medals now, the German combined athletes can leave the Winter Games satisfied - especially since they had to cope with two Corona cases.

In addition to Frenzel, teammate Terence Weber, who was replaced by Faißt, also tested positive in Beijing.

As expected, the Weinbuch team did not come close to the formidable yield of four years ago in South Korea.

At that time, the ski jump and running all-rounders had won three golds, one silver and one bronze.