Vinzenz Geiger rallies, wins Olympic gold in Nordic combined

By: Larry Lage, The Associated Press Posted: 6:01 AM CST Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022 Last Modified: 7:56 AM CST Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022

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ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Vinzenz Geiger of Germany won Olympic gold in Nordic combined Wednesday, rallying from a 1-minute, 26-second deficit to cross the finish line first in a 10K cross-country race after ranking 11th in ski jumping.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/02/2022 (1333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joergen Graabak of Norway finished eight-tenths of a second behind, winning silver. Lukas Greiderer of Austria earned bronze after starting the cross-country skiing phase of the competition in second place.

Ryota Yamamoto of Japan jumped 108 meters (354 feet) and had 133 points in the first part of event, giving him a 38-second lead over the pack, but faded from contention halfway through the grueling cross-country race.

Vinzenz Geiger, of Germany, soars through the air during the ski jump portion of the individual Gundersen normal hill event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Top-ranked Johannes Lampater of Austria was fourth.

In the sport that forces athletes to have ski jumping and cross-country skiing skills, the athlete who jumps the farthest and impresses judges the most gets to start the cross-country portion of the Nordic combined with a lead.

The rest of the field follows, in order of the finish in ski jumping. The athlete who crosses the finish line first wins gold, and that was Geiger.

Four of the top seven Nordic combined athletes, including second-ranked Jarl Magnus Riiber of Norway, recently tested positive for COVID-19 and did not compete on the normal hill and 10K race.

Fifth-ranked and three-time Olympic champion Eric Frenzel of Germany, sixth-ranked Kristjan Ilves of Estonia and seventh-ranked Terence Weber of Germany also did not compete in the first of three medal events after testing positive.